Online Reporter
Richard Muponde
Zimpapers Politics Hub
MASHONALAND West province is intensifying efforts to align provincial development initiatives with the national Vision 2030 agenda.
Yesterday, stakeholders from both Government and ruling party structures met in a joint review of the Provincial Economic Development Plan (PEDP).
Addressing a joint meeting of the Provincial Co-ordinating Committee (PCC) and the Provincial Development Committee (PDC) in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Marian Chombo, emphasised the importance of tracking progress in ongoing development programmes.
This, Minister Chombo said, will ensure effective implementation of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
“This review process is crucial as it helps us ensure our economic development plans remain relevant and effective. We are guided by the principle of leaving no one and no place behind, in line with our national development philosophy.”
The PEDP, developed through consultations with Government ministries, private sector players and civil society organisations, serves as the province’s blueprint for economic advancement. It is expected to drive re-industrialisation, innovation and value addition across sectors, central pillars in Zimbabwe’s march towards an upper-middle income economy by 2030.
The minister reiterated that the Government operates in service to the ruling ZANU PF party’s electoral mandate.
“Government is subservient to the ruling party. It is our duty to implement its resolutions and election manifesto through policy and strategy,” the minister said.
Highlighting progress on major capital projects, Minister Chombo cited the commissioning of a 35MW solar plant and a smelter expansion facility at Zimplats in Selous, officiated by President Mnangagwa on July 23.
The projects are expected to significantly extend the life of the platinum mine and enhance its contribution to the Provincial Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“These projects are milestones in our journey to increase beneficiation and value addition in the mining sector. They represent tangible steps towards the economic goals of Vision 2030,” Minister Chombo said.
She urged stakeholders not to lose sight of pressing social challenges that could derail progress.
“We must address emerging issues such as climate change, escalating malaria cases, and drug and substance abuse,” she said.
“These are not only health or environmental challenges, they are economic threats too.”
She called for a collaborative, whole-of-Government and whole-of-society approach to development and social transformation.
Secretary for Presidential Affairs in the Office of the President, Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti, Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister Polite Kambamura and ZANU PF Mash West chairperson Cde Mary Mliswa-Chikoka, were some of the dignitaries at the meeting.
The review of the PEDP comes at a time when Zimbabwe’s provinces are under the spotlight to deliver tangible development outcomes ahead of the final phase of NDS1 in 2025.
NDS1 lays the groundwork for Vision 2030, the national goal to attain an upper-middle income through inclusive, sustainable and innovation-driven growth.
