Technology and Skills in Zimbabwe's Manufacturing: From Autarky to Competition

Small Sub-Saharan African countries are facing difficult times trying to accelerate their economic growth while at the same time attempting to liberalize their economies. For many, independence has brought political freedom without concomitant economic and social improvement for their indigenous populations. Zimbabwe fits this description and while it has made significant strides in educating its populations and distributing some agricultural land, it still lags in modernizing its manufacturing industries which survived for many years with little or no capital investment and restricted access to imports. This study, based on a detailed analysis of the results of a survey of manufacturing firms in selected industries, shows the origin of the technologies they have mastered, the use made of external and domestic sources of technology, the skills being applied, their training and other needs, as well as the policies that could favourably affect future industrial development in Zimbabwe.