Rutendo Nyeve
THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) should measure its success through tangible improvements in the state of rivers, wetlands, forests, air quality and urban environments rather than the number of inspections, awareness campaigns or enforcement orders issued.
Environmental Management Board chairman Ambassador Zenzo Nsimbi said this while addressing the EMA 2026 Strategic Planning Review and 2027 Planning Workshop in Victoria Falls on Thursday.
He said the Agency needed to move beyond counting activities and focus on measurable environmental outcomes that improve the quality of life of communities.
“Ultimately, our success must be reflected in positive environmental outcomes and improved quality of life for the communities we serve,” he said.
Ambassador Nsimbi challenged the Agency to move from planning to action, from activities to measurable results, and from institutional commitments to lasting environmental impact.
He outlined five key strategic priorities for the Agency: results-based performance management; strengthened monitoring, evaluation and learning; financial sustainability and resource mobilisation; integrity and organisational culture; and strengthened institutional risk management.
“Every directorate and provincial office must emerge from this workshop with clear, measurable and achievable 2027 targets, appropriately aligned to the Agency’s Strategic Plan and available budgetary resources. Our focus must shift increasingly towards results, impact and value for money,” Ambassador Nsimbi said.
He stressed that organisational values should be lived and practised rather than merely displayed as words on office walls.
He urged participants to leave Victoria Falls with practical resolutions, clearly defined responsibilities, realistic timelines and firm commitments to systematic monitoring and implementation.
EMA Director-General Mr Aaron Chigona said as the Agency turned its attention to 2027, its focus should be on translating strategic intentions into concrete results.
“Our priorities must be realistic, adequately resourced, measurable and responsive to the emerging environmental challenges facing our country,” he said.
Mr Chigona said the success of the workshop would not be measured by the quality of presentations or the number of resolutions adopted, but by the Agency’s ability to translate those resolutions into action and deliver on its commitments.
