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Bernard Bwoni
IT is that resilient spirit and resolve of the people of Zimbabwe that has sustained and carried this country through this very difficult journey and, hopefully, as the country seemingly heads towards economic recovery now is the time to reflect on the past and project to the future. The euphoria and anxiety following the July 31 elections clearly highlighted the challenges ahead for the government and the people’s expectations. The government was tasked with rebuilding, rebranding and revamping Zimbabwe to create a solid, home-grown and people-orientated economy.
This government has an obligation to create an economy with definite and specific objectives to enhance every citizen’s life and nurture a prosperous and flourishing Zimbabwean economic beginning. The questions to pose are, has the government done enough so far and what is the way forward in this socio-political and economic maze?
Over the coming months the government has to nurture a commitment to both quality and quantity in this rebranding and redesigning process. There has to be a specific undertaking to quality for its long term outcomes and precise focus on bringing everyone on board. This redefining process will only succeed if all Zimbabweans share the vision, the collective national goals and aspirations. It is the government’s responsibility to instill innovative ways of harnessing that Zimbabwean spirit and positively incorporate that into the national agenda.
The government has to continue looking into collaborative ways of working, harnessing the power of deliberation and negotiation, listening to and understanding one another and everyone has to start contributing. That divide between black and white in Zimbabwe has to be permanently erased and everyone has to come on board minus the stuck-up-and-subservient relationship of the past. Separation breeds suspicion, misunderstandings and mistrust fosters national retrogression. It is up to Zimbabweans to start building one another and fostering a sense of shared ownership.
There is an urgent need to start embracing victors and losers alike and shying away from a negative anticipation and the pessimistic prospect. It is about turning that optimistic and positive mindset into a habit and taking note that when addressing the challenges of today; it is important to focus on the limitless possibilities of tomorrow. Positivity and an optimistic outlook are possible remedies for the current Zimbabwean socio-political and economic limitations. The government owes it to the electorate to empower every citizen to start contributing towards the growth and development of this country.
Citizens need to be given the platform to pose questions, continue to network and building rapport and adding value to our natural resources for collective benefit. The key term here is “collective benefit” and for that to bear fruition corruption has to be dealt with decisively. Superficial seals to the corruption cracks will only see the same few individuals continue to benefit at the expense of the majority. The intended outcomes of ZimAsset will only be realised in a corrupt-free environment, an environment that has the political will to address the scourge and bring those responsible to book minus the action-free tough talk.
The country needs to pay particular attention to all investors both locally and externally; investors from the east, west, north and south all embraced equally with that same Zimbabwean spirit and of course the terms positively skewed in Zimbabwe’s favour for the benefit of all her citizens. Money knows no colour or creed.
The current indigenisation and empowerment strategies must never be understated. The trickle-down stimuli from these home-grown economic initiatives will impulse economic growth and wealth creation that will benefit everyone. The home-grown initiatives are meant to harness the full potential of local entrepreneurs, set common national goals and eventually look to the wider audience and government efforts have to be lauded.
The country has to continue building new and maintain existing relationships both nationally and internationally. The Look East policy has saved the country from collapse and served Zimbabwe well but the country must continue to seek other new markets – local, regional and international.
This time Zimbabwe needs to start breaking down barriers as opposed to building them. Intricacy and complexity costs and the nation needs to start making things simple, start making things happen and clarity of vision and focus must be fostered nationally and government has to undertake an unwavering committal to flexibility and accountability. The corruption cancer plaguing the country has to be relegated into permanent remission for Zimbabwe’s full economic potential to be realised. National development is only feasible with joint traction and pulling together as a country.
The government needs to retain existing and pursue novel and creative economic, diplomatic and psychological strategies to kick start our country. The land reform, the empowerment and indigenisation policies are not gimmicks. These are solid and home-grown people-focused initiatives that will definitely create the much needed jobs and improve people’s lives and take Zimbabwe to the pinnacle of prosperity. The notion of ownership of the means of production is non-negotiable and land must benefit the people of Zimbabwe.
That said, those under-utilising the land must have their offer letters withdrawn and land reallocated to deserving farmers.
Diplomatic doors must remain open as a way forward and the country has to find ways of working with external partners in ways that are not going to compromise the country’s regeneration, security and sovereignty.
The hope is that the economic sanctions against Zimbabwe are lifted entirely and without any conditions. If not, then the country may have to make sacrifices in the face of the anticipated sanction-induced hardships and, whilst at it, look at innovative ways of being more self-reliant. The destitution and economic hardship that come as a result of the sanctions is the price the country might have to pay to safeguard its political and economic independence.
The government needs to practically look into developing a self-sustained economy and the country has to start producing its own commodities and consumer-durable goods. All the hard work has been done, now is time to focus on the finishing touches. The land reform programme has the potential of creating a new middle-class with a potential to make the country self-sustaining and all the signs are positive.
From an agricultural base the country can now start developing state-led processes of industrialisation which will favour Zimbabweans and Zimbabwe’s interests. The need for internal self-sufficiency must be stressed and the country needs to put emphasis on building on a manufacturing base to supply a range of consumer goods to the local markets and seek to protect against imports. The government must start implementing policies that focus on home-grown products to curb over-reliance on non-essential imports.
There is need to prioritise the revival of industries to meet local input needs especially agricultural implements, fertilisers, agro-chemicals and a revival of industry will in turn spur agricultural development which will in turn stimulate economic growth and lead to job creation. There is an urgent need to revive institutions such as Hwange Thermal Power Station and Zisco Steel to help resuscitate industry, improve processing and enhance capacity utilisation. Focus on mining and agriculture will provide a platform for industrial and technological development in the country.
It is important to look inward and share this determination to succeed, the drive to move the country forwards and that responsibility lies with all Zimbabweans. This time the country has to adapt and innovate to enable the development of a wide range of technical skills. Initially, focus on a solid and strong domestic market orientation and protectionist policies, as negative as they sound, are an essential engine for this revamp. The country needs to revive its manufacturing base and competitive edge to remain relevant and minimise the current influx of cheap imports.
The country’s current trade deficit is worrying and this is on a backdrop of a significant decline in exports and a surge in cheap imports. Zimbabwe’s imports from China are in excess of US$400 million and exports to China are less than US$40 million and the export-import relationship with South Africa is also negatively skewed against Zimbabwe. The key is focusing on industry’s long term competitiveness as opposed to permanent protectionist policies. In Zimbabwe’s case, from an economic point of view, protectionism in the short term is essential but the long term upshot is to enhance industry’s competitiveness.
The government has to ensure food security and that can only be done through massive scale production of maize for the domestic market and stockpiling in anticipation of scarcity. The government has to pay competitive prices for maize to encourage more farmers to start growing the crop to ensure food security and alleviate some of the shortages we are currently experiencing.
The Grain Marketing Board offers a buying price of US$378,86 per tonne which remains unattractive and below farmers’ expectations and this is well below the regional average price of US$460 per tonne. This can be demoralising for farmers and more and more farmers end up being enticed to more lucrative cash crops such as tobacco which fetch higher prices and usually offer instant payments which further increases the threat to food security. Food Security is one of ZimAsset’s four pillars and government may need to seriously look into this issue as a priority.
The industrial sector is crucial in kick-starting the revival of the country’s economic development, as this will create employment and add value to export products. It is imperative that the government eschews exportation of unprocessed raw materials which often fetch low prices in international markets. The government, through the ZimAsset initiative, has ensured that precious minerals like diamonds, gold and platinum are value-added in the country. The country will get more returns from the value-added products thereby boosting economic growth. The platinum refinery project will massively boost beneficiation and promote economic growth.
As Zimbabwe takes shape, indigenisation and empowerment will definitely stimulate Zimbabwe’s economic growth and development. The youth empowerment fund must start percolating down to most sectors of the economy and the government must look at creating local entrepreneur-friendly policies and shift attention to the new farmers and entrepreneurs to create jobs and competitive goods. The government must provide incentives for local producers and entrepreneurs and focal to government policy must be protection of the domestic market and on regeneration, infrastructure repair and development.
The government must prioritise food security through increased agricultural production and working towards self-sustenance and self-sufficiency. Policies must deliberately support local production and reduce import dependence. It will be difficult to revive an economy with a perpetual negative capital account. The curbing of non-essential imports and emphasis on exports will redress this. Indigenisation and empowerment have the hallmark of that long-term vision and strategy. There is only one way for Zimbabwe and that is up.
Bernard Bwoni can be contacted at [email protected]/bernardbwoni.blogspot.com
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