The Zimbabwe Leather Development Council (ZLDC) is urging the government to give local leather manufacturers a bigger share of public procurement contracts, saying stronger government support could help revive the country’s leather industry. The appeal was made during the Zimbabwe Industrialisation Conference and Expo (ZICE 2026) in Harare last week, according to The Herald.
Speaking at the event, ZLDC Secretary Jacob Nyathi called on the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to create more opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and manufacturing clusters to supply leather products to government institutions, particularly the military, police and other security services.
He added that the council hopes all government departments will increasingly prioritise locally made leather products in their procurement, helping create stable demand for domestic manufacturers.
The call comes as much of Zimbabwe’s leather industry continues to operate below capacity. According to ZLDC, general manufacturers are currently running at less than 40% capacity, while some smaller producers are operating at just 20% to 30%.
At the same time, specialised tanneries processing exotic skins such as crocodile and elephant hides are performing much better and generating strong export earnings.
Nyathi also highlighted challenges at the beginning of the leather value chain, noting that poor animal husbandry practices continue to affect the quality of raw hides and skins.
He urged the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development to strengthen farmer training programmes to improve livestock management and produce higher-quality hides.
Another area with significant potential, according to Nyathi, is goat skin processing. Although Zimbabwe has around 4.5 million goats and records high slaughter rates, most goat skins are still left unprocessed instead of being converted into higher-value leather products.
Zimbabwe’s leather sector includes livestock farmers, hide merchants, slaughterhouses, tanneries, manufacturers and research institutions coordinated by the Leather Institute of Zimbabwe. Nyathi believes that stronger government procurement, combined with improvements in raw material quality, could help strengthen the entire industry.
The country’s leather industry is guided by the Zimbabwe Leather Sector Strategy (2021–2030), while regional development efforts are supported by the SADC Regional Leather Value Chain Model Policy Framework, both of which aim to promote value addition, expand manufacturing and boost regional trade.
For more information, read the full report by The Herald
