eBusiness Weekly
Dr Keen Mhlanga
Gokwe was originally a Government station housing a district commissioner, police, hospital, veterinary services and other Government rural agencies, primarily for the administration of the district. It was the base for the control of the tsetse fly and its associated lethal disease trypanosomiasis also known as sleeping sickness. The place was proclaimed a growth point in 1982 under the Government’s growth point policy and gained the town status in July 2006.
The statement, “Gokwe yazviita zvakare” (Gokwe has done it again) picked up propulsion on social media platforms with the area being associated with backward people, just like Masvingo. Many videos and images were produced in mockery articulating the modern deficiency, this in turn left many people with an interest to visit the place.
Actually the area is heavily undermined, the town is bigger than most apprehended towns in the country, packed with vast business activities. It is one of the fast growing towns in Zimbabwe and is projected to have attained city status by 2030.
Calculative business leaders based in Gokwe utilised some of the existing gaps and capacity leveraging on rural areas which feed the town. The year is coming to an end and for most investors, business has been good in the sandy town. Gokwe is slowly rising with new opportunities, in a survey done by FinKing Financial Advisory — these are business opportunities to look forward to in the coming years.
Agro-processing
The town is dominated by small-medium scale farmers and the place, especially Gokwe South have good rainfall patterns. The expansion drive of the town created Njelele Agro-plots which are located near source of Sengwa River. Craft Centre and Bomba musika, green markets are the powerhouse supply of tomatoes, sorghum, sunflower, sweet potatoes, ground nuts, maize, onions and other fruits.
These farm produces are supplied to Bulawayo, Harare, Kwekwe and Gweru in search for higher prices. The town is also known as the cotton town (Cottco territory), because of high cotton production, and the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe utilised the value addition chance by establishing a ginnery, and from cotton they produce lint ginned seeds and motes.
Investors need to appreciate the role of agro-processing in the economy, it is a crucial engine for structural transformation in the cotton town. Value chain activities of agro-processing sub-sectors in Gokwe will be fruitful and companies producing and processing cooking oil, peanut butter, canned vegetables, soap and margarine. Agro processing is capital intensive and requires commercial machinery, supporting the production line by advancing inputs to credible farmers.
Tourism
Gokwe can be a tourist town. Its population of 24 054 according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat, 2012), is conducive for tourism. The existing prospect is that it is not located close to many major places of interest. Chirisa Safari Area is about 130km from the town. Mapfungautsi Plateau is closer only 10km from the town, but was affected by resettlement.
Another feature which is a bit far is the Sengwa Gorge. Just within 20km radius from there, are areas which can be used where zebras, flowing rivers and dense vegetation are already available.
Some geographical features are in Gwanyika and Masoro area which is close to the town and the main Kwekwe-Gokwe highway. A safari lodge will bring more business in Gokwe and people will flock in from other cities just to see the place. Gokwe Hotel, Green Diamond are the main players and classy Leisure Lounge recently opened along Manoti Road.
Infrastructure
There are a few boarding schools in Gokwe with a large concentration on Cheziya Gokwe High, Manyoni High, Nyamuroro High and LOGOS Empowerment Girls High schools being the main players.
Investors with interest in the education sector will never go wrong if they build a boarding school outside the town preferably a mixed primary school or boys high.
Another wise investment option is to build a sports stadium or refurbish the existing ones, and accommodating different sporting activities. Well-designed shopping malls can attract multiple businesses since many traders are now looking for an independent shopping space.
There are a few tarred roads in the CBD, and this gives a chance for road construction companies to make an arrangement with the town council and develop road infrastructure under strategic partnerships.
Mining
The Midlands province contains rocks, ranging in age from 3,7 G.a years to recent and diverse mineral deposits, it is underlain by the Zimbabwean Craton containing granite greenstone belts. Gokwe North and South districts have gold mining activities, in some areas if well-structured the yield will be high. Coal is another mineral which dominated the area in recent years — the Sengwa Coal Deposit with proven ore reserves in excess of 525 million tonnes.
Energy
Gokwe North is known for prevailing hot temperatures, especially in areas like Mutimutema. Solar energy development and deployment is another investment option. The cost of solar energy has declined tremendously in the recent past. There is need to create a backup solar energy plant, which can generate energy and store it at a low cost during off peak periods and it can be discharged during peak periods.
Large-scale biomass energy, small-scale biomass energy, solar photovoltaic, solar thermal and wind are renewable technologies can be imposed and utilised in Gokwe to meet energy needs of the poor.
Allowing companies with first solar’s model to install solar plants in Zimbabwe will be of great value since it has got over 10 gigawatts (GW) installed worldwide and proven solar solutions diversify the energy portfolio and reduce the risk of fuel-price volatility while delivering a levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) that is cost competitive with fossil fuels.
The Sengwa Power Station project is based on a coal resource of 1,3bn tonnes, capable of generating up to 2 000MW of power, almost as much as Zimbabwe’s total installed capacity. The proposed project envisages the construction of a number of smaller power plants over the next ten years. In order to achieve this goal, RioEnergy is in the process of bringing in technical partners to help construct the power station.
Founder and chairman of FinKing Financial Advisory/[email protected]
