NIEEB board must make a difference

interrogate the merits and demerits of the outgoing board it is imperative that we revisit the roles of the board and look ahead to it functioning effectively for the ultimate benefit of thousands of indigenes.
According to the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act (Chapter 14:33) the functions of the board shall be:
l To advise the Minister on the Govern­ment’s indigenisation and economic empowerment strategies,
l To advise the Minister on appropriate measures for the implementation of the objectives of this Act,
l To administer the NIEEF,
l To oversee compliance with the indi­genisation and Economic Empowerment Charter and,
While it is the minister’s prerogative to pass a verdict on the outgoing board on the first two functions it is beyond reasonable doubt that more could have been and should be done in executing the remaining functions particularly with regards to the functionality of the National Indigenisation and Economic Empow­erment Fund and the development and implementa­tion of the charter.
Without equivocating it is impera­tive that we state categorically that the new board has to hit the ground running as far as the last three func­tions are concerned.
Looking at the men and women that Minister Kasukuwere entrusted with assisting him drive the indigenisation and economic empowerment agenda there is evidence of a sprinkling of talent ranging from economists, academics, bureaucrats, civil servants, administrators, lawyers and successful business people.
Added to the military precision and efficiency likely to be enforced by the incoming chairman as a former member of the uniformed forces the board also has an aura of youthfulness that certainly raises expectations as far as innovativeness and creativity is concerned.
While the board needs time to get to grips with the nitty-gritty of managing such a monumental project, the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment pro­gramme has become, the nation is full of expectation of reaping the long-awaited fruits of the programme.
We are fully aware of the need for Government sup­port for NIEEB through enhanced budget allocation and more importantly, the actual disbursement of the allocation. We are also familiar with the idea of intro­ducing a levy to finance the programmes of the board.
Thus, the men and women of considerable talent appointed to the board have to roll up their sleeves, put on their thinking caps and unleash the potential of the empowerment programme and deliver results that the entire nation has been clamouring for so long.
While the board is packed with financially talented individuals who can immediately kickstart the opera­tions of the National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Fund it is the development and imple­mentation of the charter that will provide the soul crit­ical for the success of the indigenisation and economic empowerment programme.
The charter actually con­tains principles that can take the programme to another level.
According to the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act (Chapter 14: 33), fourth schedule Section 16, the Charter shall be premised on the fol­lowing fundamental principles:
l Good corporate governance;
l Development of a highly competitive, sustainable and industrialised economy benefiting from the country’s endowments including its natural resources;
l Equal opportunities for all, including gender sensitive ownership and participation in the economy by indigenous Zimbabweans;
l Accelerated rural development;
l Development and utilisation of modern science and technology; and
The stated objectives of the Charter are to:
l Promote ethical business conduct;
l Promote equitable access to the wealth of the economy by indigenous Zimbabweans;
l Enhance employee and management stakeholdership in business;
l Promote the use of local raw materials and value addition in economic activities;
Thus, the finalisation and implementation of the charter will provide an impetus that will guarantee the success of the indigenisation and economic programme.
In addition to the noted functions the board should also step up in terms of unpacking the indigenisation programme for the common man and woman’s understanding, taking the empowerment message across the length and breadth of the country, giving relevant information on measures of broad based participation and assisting citizens to figure out where they fit in and more importantly facilitating their entry into the mainstream economy.
The board’s media team should also give the relevant explanations and assurances that will manage the huge empowerment expectations, explaining variations and divergences between the law and practical implementation on the ground. The board should take charge of packaging the entire indigenisation and economic programme throughout Zimbabwe and beyond.
The writer is the Director of the Zanu-PF Department of Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment.