Moffat Mungazi
Liberty Dube
Post Correspondent
MINISTER of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza, has urged Government ministries, departments, and agencies in the province to play an active role in simplifying operations and creating a seamless business environment.
This move aims to attract potential investors to the province.
Minister Mugadza made these remarks during an interactive meeting with heads of Government ministries, departments, and agencies at Mutare Polytechnic last Tuesday, emphasising the importance of streamlining operations to enhance the province’s appeal to investors and promote economic growth.
“Our business community continues to bemoan that they suffer inordinate delays in registration and licencing procedures, while the cost of doing business remains inordinately prohibitive. While I am aware that some of the issues require policy intervention, my plea to you is that let us do our part at the operational level so that we make it easy for business to thrive and to attract new investors. Where there are prohibitive policy prescriptions for investment, my office remains ready to receive these for further such policy interventions.
“The responsibility to refuse, resist and report corruption rests with all of us. Heads of MDAs must be seen to be taking measures to fight corruption. I have heard concerns about laxity to address corrupt tendencies on your part — some of which points to possible connivance and tacit collusion. May we therefore ensure that all efforts are mobilised so that the delivery of Government and public sector services is not associated with corruption of any form or manner. Our integrity committees, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering strategies should therefore be implemented without equivocation. Concern has been raised on the state of the cleanliness of our province, sometimes, our officers, including ourselves, step over waste to our offices.
“Inside our offices, we watch as our sanitary facilities are in a run-down state, some of them even without running water, yet we have technical persons whose skills we can tap from,” he said.
Speaking ahead of the inaugural Sanganai/Hlanganani World Business Expo in Mutare, slated for September this year, Minister Mugadza emphasized the importance of collective preparation among agencies.
“We should indeed smile that this is the first time this expo is being held outside Harare and Bulawayo in 17 years, thanks to the ‘leaving no-one and no place behind’ development philosophy of our Head of State and Government.
“We expect to see our infrastructure such as roads, water systems as well as our public amenities functional across the city, province and host destinations. Our regulatory bodies should work around the clock to ensure that the province portrays the positive image to host such as grand event. Those MDAs that are running tourist facilities are encouraged, in the same vein, to revamp infrastructure, improve service delivery and spruce up the ambience of their premises,” he said.
The meeting, as noted by Secretary for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mr Albiot Maronge, aimed to reflect on major achievements in 2024, and discuss strategies for expediting implementation of planned projects by MDAs in Manicaland.
Notable achievements included hosting the 2024 Independence Day national commemorations, the Mutare River intervention, and various programmes featuring the Presidium and the First Lady’s philanthropic works, among others.
In an interview, Manicaland Provincial Education Director, Mr Richard Gabaza said in the education sector, milestones such as payments of annual guarantee fees by registered colleges, ECD, and private centres are now being processed at the provincial level.
Additionally, the recruitment of teachers has been decentralised to both provincial and district levels, while procurement processes, including those related to the project management unit (PMU), are also now handled at the provincial level.
The province takes pride in having a deputy director of audit at the provincial level.
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