Online Reporter
Africa Moyo-Deputy National Editor
ECONOMIC projections for this year “are very positive”, driven by strong performances expected in the mining, agricultural and manufacturing sectors, President Mnangagwa has said.
In an interview aired on ZBC News last night, the President said the agricultural sector had been buoyed by a good season as most parts of the country were receiving rains, leaving crops at various stages of growth.
“The outlook this year, of the season, is very good. The rainy season is very good and the cropping across the country is very good,” said President Mnangagwa.
“I am not receiving any complaints across the board from all the provinces. I think we are going to have a bumper harvest this year and it is very good for everybody. That is the basic thing which we need as a country, self-sufficiency in terms of food provision.
“If you look at this place where we are just now (the First Family’s Pricabe Farm), on your left or on your right, just look at how good the crop is. It shows that we are going to have a very good harvest.”
President Mnangagwa said the economic projections for the country were positive in sectors such as mining, agriculture and industry.
“Indicators are that we are going to do better than the previous year because the fundamentals are all positive.
“Let us look at agriculture. So far, the rains are good. Let us look at the industry, mining. We have no strikes. The industry, mining sectors; no strikes. People are going to work.
“There is expansion in every sub-sector of the economy. This augurs well for the growth and expansion of the economy,” he said.
Gold production rose by 17 percent last year to reach an all-time high of 46,7 tonnes, up from 36,48 tonnes in 2024. This year, the gold sector is targeting a haul of 60 tonnes.
The manufacturing sector has been on a strong rebound since 2018, driven by a conducive investment climate introduced by the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa.
This has seen about 85 percent of locally produced goods occupying supermarket shelves.
Previously, imported products dominated local shop shelves.
New companies are coming to invest, heeding President Mnangagwa’s “Zimbabwe is open for business” mantra.
Turning to the success at Pricabe Farm, which has become a regional model, the President said the First Family aspires to continually improve every season and compares notes with any farmer doing well elsewhere.
“You learn from others. If I understand there is another farmer, either in the Midlands or within the country, who does better than what I do, I send Patrick (Mnangagwa, the farm manager) to go and find out why that person does better than us.
“Then we copy from that. So, always be able to learn, be able to go to the best for you to do better. Don’t be satisfied with what you are doing,” he said.
In respect of performance-based contracts introduced for all senior Government officials, President Mnangagwa said they have been useful in ensuring everyone performs to the best of their ability.
“Let me be honest with you, that has helped a lot. No minister now sits back because the results tell whether you are working or not working.
“You now know which ministers are on the job and which (ones) are not. I have never fired anybody, but I know the scale now as to which minister is actually fit to be where they are.
“If any day I want to make a decision, I know where the axe should go. But I am not telling anybody. People are assigned duties to do. Those who perform, you see from the results which they produce (and) those who do not, if you are a good leader, you should not be guided by personal friendship. You should be guided by results; right?
“It’s very difficult because you may have moved with a person in the party or at school, at university you are together, but come to performance, there’s a difference. So, if you are a good leader, don’t look at where you came from, look at the results which you want to achieve because it’s national; it’s not a personal issue,” he said.
President Mnangagwa explained that some people may dislike you for moving them from one ministry or department to the other, “but at the end of the day, don’t choose to be liked by individuals”.
“Choose to do better for your country,” he said.
Last year, the economy grew by 6 percent driven by agriculture, mining (mainly the gold sector) and diaspora remittances, following a 1,7 percent growth in 2024 due to a devastating drought, the worst in about 40 years, which swept across the entire SADC region.
This year, the economy is expected to grow by 5,5 percent, representing a slight decline from last year due to external shocks and climate change.
