Online Reporter
Vusumuzi Dube in Beijing, China
ZIMBABWE can draw valuable lessons from China’s approach to development planning, particularly its ability to translate national priorities into practical programmes at provincial and local levels, Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Mercy Dinha has said.
Speaking in China, where she is leading Zimbabwe’s delegation to the Ministerial Seminar for Senior Public Management Officials of Zimbabwe, Deputy Minister Dinha said the country’s structured and long-term approach to development offered useful insights as Zimbabwe seeks to accelerate the implementation of its own national development agenda.
She said one of the key takeaways from the seminar was China’s ability to ensure that national development priorities are effectively cascaded through different levels of government, allowing policies to be translated into tangible benefits for citizens.
According to Deputy Minister Dinha, China’s Five-Year Plans provide a clear framework for setting development priorities, which are then implemented through coordinated programmes at provincial and sub-national levels.
“By observing China’s experience, senior public officials can gain ideas on how institutions can work together in implementing national development programmes and how long-term development objectives can be maintained through structured planning and coordinated implementation,” she said.
She noted that the lessons were particularly relevant for senior public managers, whose role is to convert Government policies and development priorities into programmes, projects and services that directly benefit citizens.
Deputy Minister Dinha said the delegation had also gained a greater appreciation of the role played by the Communist Party of China (CPC) during the country’s liberation struggle and in guiding its development trajectory.
“This Ministerial Seminar for Senior Public Management Officials of Zimbabwe presents a valuable opportunity for the Zimbabwean delegation to gain a deeper understanding of China’s development experience, governance systems and the role of strategic leadership in national economic transformation,” she said.
She said China’s development journey highlighted the importance of strategic leadership, long-term planning and coordinated implementation in achieving sustainable national development.
Deputy Minister Dinha said the experience had also encouraged the Zimbabwean delegation to reflect on Zimbabwe’s own planning framework, which similarly relies on five-year development strategies to drive the country’s broader vision through programmes implemented across different sectors and tiers of government.
“For the Zimbabwean delegation, therefore, the seminar is not simply an opportunity to learn about China, but also to reflect on Zimbabwe’s own development journey. The interaction with Chinese institutions and officials allows participants to examine what lessons are relevant to Zimbabwe and how those lessons and ideas can be adapted to the country’s own circumstances.”
She also highlighted the work of the Academy for International Business Officials (AIBO), an institution under China’s Ministry of Commerce that is hosting the seminar.
Deputy Minister Dinha described AIBO as an important platform for knowledge sharing and international engagement, bringing together officials from different countries to learn about China’s history, economic transformation and development experience while exchanging perspectives on their own national development journeys.
She said such engagements demonstrated the value of institutional learning and cooperation in strengthening relations between countries.
The seminar is also expected to contribute to the further strengthening of bilateral ties between Zimbabwe and China, which the two countries describe as a “five-star, ironclad relationship”.
“This visit here cements that relationship that already exists between the two countries,” she said.
Deputy Minister Dinha said the success of the seminar would ultimately depend on how effectively participants apply the lessons gained in China to improve public administration, strengthen institutional coordination and enhance the implementation of Zimbabwe’s development priorities.
She said the delegation was expected to return home with a deeper understanding of strategic planning, coordinated leadership, institutional capacity building, localised development initiatives and international cooperation.
“Ultimately, the greatest gain for the delegation will be the opportunity to return home with practical lessons, ideas and perspectives that can contribute to the implementation of Zimbabwe’s national development agenda.
“Most importantly, the seminar provides an opportunity to learn from China’s development experience while identifying those lessons that can be adapted and applied within Zimbabwe’s own national context,” said the Deputy Minister.
