Let’s join forces to ensure success in 2024

Editor’s Brief

Victoria Ruzvidzo

In a few hours, 2023 will give way to 2024, as we mark the end of one calendar year and welcome the new year!

It is no mean feat nor is it that automatic that we transition from one year to another.

It is all by Divine enablement!

The new year always brings some hope that things will get better.

Some may have failed to meet targets they set for themselves at the beginning of the year but that should not deter them from aiming to achieve in 2024.

The new year presents another opportunity — continued growth for some and re-strategising for others.

Whatever the case may be, we should all aspire to be better than we were this year.

The year 2024 is one of continued growth and development for the country as we move an inch closer towards the realisation of our national vision of becoming an upper middle-income society by 2030.

At a national level, this year saw President Mnangagwa commissioning at least 30 life-transforming projects that have created employment and lifted many Zimbabweans out of poverty.

Kudos to him for his hard work and servant leadership that has ensured no one and no place is left behind in Zimbabwe’s development.

Among the commissioned projects are the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Hwange Power Station Units 7 and 8, and the official opening of the new Parliament building. Indications from progress made this year show that more is definitely coming, and more and more people will surely be ushered into prosperity.

As if to give credence to this view, the year has ended on a positive note for the country on many fronts.

It had earlier been projected that we would reel from the adverse effects of the El Niño-induced drought, thereby affecting prospects for the 2023/2024 summer cropping season, but in the last few weeks, the country has been experiencing abundant rainfall.

The rains have not only been a boon to the agriculture sector, but also to the country’s general environment and landscape.

Most farmers and firms are smiling and are positive that these rains have made things better. It will not be a bad summer cropping season. Is this unbridled optimism? I do not think so. Life has a way of bringing positive results to those who expect them, so some of us eternal optimists will remain so.

The year has also ended on a particularly good note for the country as global financial institutions — the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank — have endorsed Zimbabwe’s economic trajectory under the Second Republic.

Both financial institutions pledged their support to Zimbabwe’s economic reforms in a vote of confidence for policies being implemented by the Government.

A delegation from the two multilateral financial institutions visited Zimbabwe earlier this month, pledging to fully assist the country in every way possible.

“On our part, we expressed our readiness to support Zimbabwe to the fullest extent that we can,” said the IMF’s director of the African department, Mr Abebe Aemro Selassie, after their meeting with President Mnangagwa.

“The Government has requested a Staff Monitoring Programme through which we can provide support to the Government in terms of policy advice and technical assistance.

“We want to initiate that as soon as Government is ready and I am here to try and understand Government’s motivations and, more importantly, to signal our readiness to move forward with the Staff Monitored Programme as soon as our teams can sit together and finalise the discussions.

“The President basically explained Government’s very strong commitment to advancing economic reforms and also including recognising that there are some areas that require attention.”

Zimbabwe also managed to attract investments worth US$8 billion, which shows that it was a truly successful year for this country.

It was also testament to the fact that the Second Republic’s “Zimbabwe is open for business” mantra is paying dividends.

The big mining projects being implemented, and those in the pipeline, reflect the keen interest investors have in this economy.

Perhaps the major highlight of the year were the harmonised elections held in August.

In fact, let me rephrase, Zimbabwe conducted the most peaceful harmonised elections ever held in this country in a long time.

Fears of violence quickly vanished as it turned out Zimbabweans decided their future in the most peaceful manner.

Efforts to cause trouble by some were all futile. We commend the Government and other stakeholders, particularly the Church, for ensuring peace prevailed before, during and after the polls.

The elections and their outcome were widely endorsed, and countries in the region said they were keen to employ measures that Zimbabwe had used in ensuring the polls were held in a peaceful manner.

Of course, the Tshabangu factor hit opposition politics in an amazing and previously unimaginable manner.

We shall not dwell much on this. We watch.

On the economic front, plans for this year centred around increased production and productivity, and the country did not disappoint.

Zimbabwe was able to secure successive wheat output records and registered the most successful tobacco production season ever production of the cash crop began in Zimbabwe.

Agriculture has been the country’s mainstay and Zimbabwe is surely moving closer to retaining its regional breadbasket status.

This is evidenced by some East African countries that are keen to buy more than 350 000 tonnes of maize from Zimbabwe.

There were, however, some challenges experienced in the country throughout the year, particularly with the exchange rate.

The June-July period is a forgettable phase, which saw the Zimdollar lose significant value, but this was dealt with decisively by both monetary and fiscal authorities.

The economy has remained on a growth trajectory despite a few slip-ups here and there.

The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to close higher than earlier anticipated, which sums up the year Zimbabwe had.

It was a year of progress and a year of surpassing expectations on the economic and political fronts.

The most notable scores include President Mnangagwa’s attendance of King Charles III’s coronation; the President’s attendance of the Russia-Africa Summit and his subsequent bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin; the official handover of the majestic new Parliament building that was built following a grant from China; the historic State visit to Zimbabwe by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko; and the diplomatic camaraderie shown by various nations as they continued to call for the unequivocal removal of illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.

All these are just but a tip of the iceberg, in terms of the scores registered, showing that Zimbabwe is truly a friend to all and an enemy to none.

Gains that have been achieved this year have shown us that the attainment of Vision 2030 is ahead of schedule, as enunciated by the Head of State recently, is truly not a pipe dream, but a possibility.

Zimbabwe has also made significant strides in combating drug and substance abuse, thanks to efforts initiated by the Government, including the setting up of an inter-ministerial taskforce coordinated by Dr Agnes Mahomva.

Earlier this month, 39 drug barons were named and shamed, and hundreds of arrests were made throughout the year, showing that our efforts are paying dividends.

Hundreds of former drug addicts have thus been rehabilitated and re-integrated back into society. The fight against drug and substance abuse calls for a collective effort.

Encouragingly, there are indications that by next year Zimbabwe will have managed to decisively deal with the global menace.

Zimbabwe’s economy is forecast to grow by 3,5 percent next year, with total revenue collections estimated at $53,9 trillion, or 18,3 percent of GDP.

This calls on all of us to join forces and ensure that we get where we want to be together as a nation.

Sabotaging the economy will do more harm than good because in so doing, we will be sabotaging ourselves.

The country’s sustained economic growth calls for sectors such as agriculture and mining to continue on their path of surpassing expectations. The tourism sector has been on the rise and its growth should also be sustained as it is important for Zimbabwe’s economic growth.

The private sector has continued to play an active role in Zimbabwe’s economic turnaround, and this needs to be stepped up in 2024 and beyond.

Zimbabwe is surely poised for greatness in the coming year.

President Mnangagwa’s engagement and re-engagement efforts bore fruit, and Zimbabwe is surely regaining its pride of place in the comity of nations.

In God I Trust!

 Twitter handle: @VictoriaRuzvid2; Email: [email protected]; [email protected]; WhatsApp number: 0772 129 972.