Editorial Comment: SONA sets tone for economic growth trajectory

AS has become his custom, President Mnangagwa this week combined the State of the Nation Address, which outlines where Zimbabwe is at present positioned and with some indication of where we are going, with the opening of the new session of Parliament, where he lays the legislative agenda.

The joint approach means we get a far more comprehensive view of what is going on and what needs to be done and makes it clear what progress is being made and what progress needs to be made to continue building a better and faster developing Zimbabwe.

In a sense, the double address allows the President to place our position accurately on the chart, so we know where the journey over the next year starts, then sees him set the course for that year through outlining the policies, then giving the more precise navigational settings through the legislative programme.

It is, with the joint thrust of the address, totally obvious that we are governed by a single policy, to continue pushing economic growth so that there is more wealth, but also to ensure that everyone shares in that growth, becoming better off and more secure with better services.

The growth is increasingly built on the creativity, innovation and hard work of ever more Zimbabweans, with Government policies and programmes designed to make that possible and easier.

The President is keen on turning the fairly simple mantras of his Government into practical programmes.

So starting with the aim of leaving no one and no place behind means that there must be efficient and effective programmes that do generate inclusive economic transformation and shared prosperity.

This includes a lot of the Government programmes, from the support for all farmers from the smallest upwards, to sensible mining laws and openings to investors.

Supporting new industries via the innovation hubs and university business parks and maintaining the right conditions for industrialists to thrive, are also some of the programmes which will contribute towards Vision 2030.

All these programmes are built around doing better, not simply maintaining what we have, but creating new sources of wealth and empowering our people so that they can do more, build more and exercise their God-given talents most productively.

So while economic growth is slower this year with the very severe El Nino drought, the economy is still growing.

In particular exports are rising fast, from US$7 billion last year to US$8 billion this year, a major jump that strengthens the foreign currency resources of our economy.

This is largely the reason why despite greater food imports this year, largely via the private sector, Zimbabwe will still see a positive balance of payments with more foreign currency flowing in than flowing out.

As part of the dual policy of growth and spreading that growth, the Government is pressing hard on expanding the productivity of farmers, the largest single group of Zimbabweans, by ensuring that inputs are available and creating more opportunities for farming and rural communities to expand operations and incomes.

These include the village business units spreading as fast as the new village boreholes under a major Presidential scheme are drilled, and the increasing emphasis on irrigation.

That, as the President made clear, is not just the headline-grabbing major dams, but all those small dams and weirs, along with conservation agriculture so what water is available is used most efficiently.

Sometimes good progress can be slowed by greed and illegal activity. The introduction of the ZiG helped stabilise the economy and provide a good local currency. Along with more direct measures, it also pushed back the black market.

Then, as the President noted, the speculators jumped in. These are people who do not create wealth by adding value, let alone by producing anything. They move other people’s money around so that a slice ends up in their pockets, but being parasites, they add nothing, just take.

The authorities will need to upgrade their pressure on these people so that they are forced to make money by providing something of value.

We have been hit too often by people who think that by moving money between bank accounts they can become rich.

The legislative programme going before Parliament is extensive.

There are some carry over Bills from the last session, where much of the detailed work has been done, and a raft of new measures that the Government is introducing and backing.

Parliament, and especially the portfolio committees are taking an ever more active role in refining proposed legislation and have introduced some good ideas.

This also means the reason for new law has to be very clear, so everyone understands the aim and the detailed work can then be applied to making the drafts better.

The days of part-time MPs are diminishing, although perhaps MPs can be part-time farmers or business people, but with their main function to be an MP.