MTP progress report ready

Desire Sibanda said in an interview the report would be presented to stakeholders on November 8 at the Rainbow Towers in Harare.
The report on the five-year national economic blueprint was presented to Cabinet on Tuesday last week.
“The ministry produced an Inaugural Annual MTP Implementation Progress Report, which will be presented at the all-stakeholders MTP Conference in November,” said Dr Sibanda.
“The report was handed to Cabinet on Tuesday and will now be presented to stakeholders.”
The MTP is Government’s main economic policy framework for the period 2011-2015 and influences the National Budget. Through the MTP Government targets average annual economic growth of 7,1 percent during the five-year period and average annual employment creation rate of 6 percent.
It also envisages a current account deficit of 5 percent of Gross Domestic Product by 2015, foreign exchange reserves of at least three months cover and double-digit savings and annual investment ratios of 20 percent of GDP. The policy document framework targets a budget deficit of less than 5 percent, reducing sovereign debt to 60 percent of GDP by 2015, and poverty reduction to meet Millennium Development Goals and a good interest rate regime.
“The progress report details what happens in terms of economic performance against targets set in the MTP,” said Dr Sibanda.
More than 1 000 delegates, including senior Government and line ministry officials, civic society, heads of parastatals and captains of industry are expected to attend the event. The economic blueprint, which requires US$9,3 billion, builds on the foundation of the Short-Term Economic Recovery Programme and Three-Year Macro-Economic Policy Framework launched in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Other MTP priorities include macro-economic stability, infrastructure and human-centred development, small-to-medium enterprise development, information communication technology, science and technology, good governance, removal of sanctions and combating corruption.
Also at the heart of the policy are co-ordination and promotion of investment regulations, optimal natural resource utilisation, poverty reduction, gender mainstreaming, energy infrastructure and rural development.
Meanwhile, officials from various line ministries meet at Pandhari Lodge today to present policy proposals on the 2013 National Budget. Dr Sibanda said the various working groups from line ministries would meet to discuss priorities for funding for sector programmes and projects in line with the MTP.
Objectives of today’s meeting include analysing targets and programmes of the MTP and the 2013 Budget and recommending to the Ministry of Finance programmes and policies for 2013 to ensure synergies with MTP’s 2013 plans.
The meeting also proffers recommendations, using the sector approach (infrastructure, economics, social, rights and governance) to be submitted to sector chairs for the 2013 Budget.