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Can Zimbabwe revive its once-thriving textile industry?

15 Jan '26
5 min read
Can Zimbabwe revive its once-thriving textile industry?
Pic: Shutterstock

Insights

  • Zimbabwe's textile industry grew strongly under state support before collapsing in the 1990s after liberalisation exposed firms to cheap imports.
  • Today, the sector is again in focus as the government pushes a cotton-to-clothing revival to rebuild industrial capacity and economic self-sufficiency.
  • The strategy aims to boost local value addition by expanding cotton production and domestic processing.

Zimbabwe’s textile industry has long mirrored the country’s broader economic fortunes, rising on the back of strong state support before faltering amid liberalisation, global competition, and policy inconsistency.

Today, with the government pushing an ambitious revival agenda, the sector once again finds itself at the centre of a national debate about industrial policy, value addition, and economic self-sufficiency.

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