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Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
MANICALAND Province successfully completed 84 Government-funded major infrastructure projects last year, with the projects now positively contributing towards economic growth and an improved quality of life for people in the province.
These projects cut across transportation, agriculture, power, water, health, education and telecom systems, spurring the province’s economic development.
The robust implementation of these impactful projects is confirmation of the Government’s commitment to accelerate the betterment of people’s livelihoods in tandem with the national vision of attaining an upper middle income economy by 2030.
A report on a Compendium of Projects implemented by the Second Republic in 2021, which was on Wednesday presented in Cabinet by the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs in charge of Implementation and Monitoring Government Programmes, Dr Jorum Gumbo, shows that Manicaland had the second highest number of completed projects at 84.
A total of 1 688 projects were implemented across the country from January to December 2021, out of which 657 projects have been completed.
Implementation of the outstanding 1 031 is ongoing.
Manicaland has 274 projects, out of which 84 have been completed, while 190 are ongoing.
The projects include infrastructure development and utilities (roads, dams, irrigation, housing, energy); human capital development (construction of schools, provision of ICT equipment); social protection (support for the elderly, support of underprivileged children through BEAM); as well as health and well-being (provision of an enabling environment for health service delivery).
The toast of Manicaland’s refurbished road network is the Kopa Road which was commissioned by President Mnangagwa last year in November.
The Kopa-Jopa Road connects Chimanimani and Chipinge districts, linking local communities to markets for their horticulture and fruit produce.
Contacted for comment yesterday (Thursday), Secretary for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mr Edgars Seenza said the completed projects had positively swayed economic development and the quality of life for the people of Manicaland given their direct effects on the provincial Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Mr Seenza said the projects have not only triggered economic growth, but they are also having broader effects on people’s welfare through the provision of improved public services, trafficability of roads and foreign currency generation.
“We have a number of roads which have been completed across the seven districts and these have effects in terms of direct economic growth, mainly through trafficability, travel time savings, access to the market and the movement of people and goods. An area with trafficable roads has greater economic activity around it,” said Mr Seenza.
“We also have a number of clinics and health posts that have been completed, and the most notable one is Nzvimbe Clinic in Makoni, which is earmarked to be officially commissioned by His Excellency, President Mnangagwa.
“Completion of these clinics means a number of people in our districts will have access to healthcare facilities within a reasonable distance,” said Mr Seenza.
He said irrigation schemes have also been established and rehabilitated indrought prone areas of Makoni, Buhera, Nyanga and Chimanimani as a mitigation measure to avert food shortages.
“Food security is at the centre of our development as a province. As Manicaland, we can achieve this when people have affordable access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet dietary needs for an active and healthy life.
“As a result, a lot of financial resources and efforts have been channelled towards achieving food security through the establishment, rehabilitation and maintenance of irrigation schemes across the province. This is also having the impact of increasing the per capita income of our people,” he said.
Mr Seenza said a herbal tea factory, which is exporting its organic products to Germany, has been established in Mutasa to spur rural industrialisation in the district.
“They are up and running, processing and exporting organic tea, herbs and pepper to Germany, and earning the country the much-needed foreign currency. They are doing quite a lot and the only drawback is that its winter time and the growth of herbs is subdued. By September and October, they will be harvesting, processing and selling their produce to the international market.
“In Vumba, we have a fruit canning factory manufacturing marmalade, peanut butter and other products. The quality of these products is impressive,” he said.
Mr Seenza said some of the ongoing projects, like the GemmologyCentre in Fernhill Special Economic Zone, as well as the Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences,are taking shape after receiving additional funding.
Mr Seenza said the pre-cast wall at the Gemmology Centre has been completed, with the Department of Public Works receiving funding to start constructing buildings at the centre.
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