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Gibson Mhaka
RECOGNISING the critical nature of climate change as a significant threat to the nation’s development agenda and Vision 2030, the Cabinet has taken proactive steps to address this pressing issue by approving the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (NCCAP) for the period 2024-2030.
In his post-Cabinet media briefing on Tuesday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere said the extreme weather patterns such as droughts, floods, prolonged mid-season dry spells, heat waves, violent storms and tropical cyclone activities occasioned by climate change pose a serious risk to food security and negatively impact socio-economic development.
The plan was presented by the Minister of Local Government and Public Works Daniel Garwe, as Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Environment, Disaster Prevention and Management.
“The extreme weather patterns such as droughts, floods, prolonged mid-season dry spells, heat waves, violent storms and tropical cyclone activities occasioned by climate change pose serious risk to food security and negatively impact socio-economic development. Zimbabwe is bearing the brunt of climate variability and change, hence the need for a coordinated approach to address related vulnerabilities and risks caused by these extreme weather events.
“The National Climate Change Adaptation Plan seeks to address these unprecedented impacts of climate change. It provides guidance on the steps to be followed in mainstreaming climate change in development planning for the period 2024-2030, in order to build a climate-resilient and low carbon economy,” said Dr Muswere.
Minister Muswere said the NCCAP will enhance the country’s capacity and effectiveness to plan, integrate, implement, monitor and evaluate adaptation plans and programmes for climate change and will be the anchor document for the development of sectoral plans.
“The sector plans will highlight how climate change will be mainstreamed into all sectors and pillars of the economy towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient trajectory. The Plan is informed by other Government policy frameworks, namely: Vision 2030; National Development Strategy 1 (NDS 1) 2021-2025; the National Climate Policy, 2017; the Zimbabwe National Climate Change Response Strategy, 2014; the Zimbabwe Climate Gender Action Plan, 2021; the Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee reports; and the National Communication Reports to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,” said Minister Muswere.
He said the plan also includes incentives such as duty waivers on the localisation of electric vehicles manufacturing.
“The incentives and duty waiver would also apply to local production and/or importation of equipment and gadgets used in mitigating the effects of climate change,” said Dr Muswere.
Minister Muswere said the Cabinet also approved the Principles of the Legal Metrology Bill.
The Legal Metrology provides for the administration and enforcement of legal metrology technical regulations in order to promote fair trade as well as provide for the protection of the public through the use of accurate measurements.
“The Bill also establishes the Legal Metrology Agency with the following functions among others: establishing and making recommendations to the Minister with regard to the declaration of legal metrology technical regulations; ensuring that the recommendations are only for compelling reasons such as promoting fair trade practices and safeguarding the public; administering and maintaining legal metrology technical regulations; developing codes of practice and guidelines for legal metrology technical regulatory impact and risk assessment; and carrying out market surveillance in order to monitor and enforce compliance with legal metrology technical regulations,” said Minister Muswere.
He said a Board of the Agency will be constituted, in line with corporate governance principles, to oversee the strategic directions of the Legal Metrology Agency.
“Furthermore, the Legal Metrology Agency shall appoint inspectors, verification officers and examiners as well as support staff who shall be responsible for the application and enforcement of the law,” said Dr Muswere.
Online Reporter