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Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
GOVERNMENT is considering economic ranking for local authorities and will soon start rewarding best performing councils as a way of incentivising them to dedicate their efforts towards contributing to the country’s economic transformation agenda.
Speaking during the recent 3rd Rural District Councils indaba held here, Finance and Economic Development Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, said Rural District Councils (RDCs) would soon be ranked based on economic competition and service delivery.
“We need to make sure that the environment for business is conducive. We need to introduce competition for rural district councils.
“We need to come up with criteria and then we compete using service delivery and performance and rank you every year. Those who will come on top get an award and prize,” said Prof Ncube.
He said such a model was critical as competition was not just about business but also about institutions of service delivery such as RDCs, which should play a role in the economy.
Prof Ncube said a similar framework was being used in South Africa and Rwanda where local authorities are ranked every year based on their performance after a competition.
He offered to assist Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister, July Moyo, to design a local model and start the competition. This, Prof Ncube said, will also help attract foreign direct investment into the country.
Some local municipalities have partnered their peers outside the country such as in South Africa in twinning programmes meant to enhance service delivery. Bulawayo is one such local authority with a twinning partnership with EThekwini in South Africa. Prof Ncube said the country’s vision for an upper middle income economy by 2030 entails public institutions being able to be responsive to the needs of the citizens.
He said RDCs were pivotal as they look after 70 percent of the population while 90 percent of projects in the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) were also in rural areas. The minister said this will also help attract foreign direct investment into the country.
Prof Ncube said every Zimbabwean should be reminded that the country was not an island hence the importance of political and economical re-engagement with the international community.
Meanwhile, Government has said it is considering relaxing procurement rules at a local authority level for ease of doing business.
In this regard Prof Ncube warned against corruption saying this would force Government to withdraw the privilege and move back to the centralised procurement system. — @ncubeleon
Online Reporter