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Trust Freddy
Herald Correspondent
THE heads of three parastatals under the purview of the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare yesterday signed performance contracts and were challenged to deliver on set targets as Government works to advance accountability and good governance throughout the entire public sector.
National Social Security Authority chair, Mrs Marjorie Chinyemba, National Building Society chair Mr Shingai Mutumbwa, and Zimbabwe Institute of Public Administration and Management chair Mr Noah Manomano Matimba, all signed performance contracts at a ceremony presided over by Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Paul Mavima.
Speaking at the ceremony, Prof Mavhima commended the three entities for their performance last year and urged them to produce better results this year.
“NSSA is currently on a positive trajectory and the momentum gained underscores the need to get the authority back on track, focusing on the fulfilment of its raison d’être of securing the welfare of pensioners and other beneficiaries. The NSSA scheme which is a social protection programme has evolved to become a pension of choice, which is why this year more effort will be put in enhancing pensioner welfare to contribute towards poverty alleviation. This will be done through regular review of pension levels in line with movements on the exchange rate to preserve value.”
The Minister said strong emphasis should be on enhancing the sustainability of social security programmes and expanding social security coverage.
NSSA would enhance recipients’ welfare through value-added non-monetary benefits in order to create resilience and eradicate poverty by 2030.
“In order to do this the authority will increase funding for non-monetary benefits, increase the number of non-monetary benefits initiatives, increase partnerships with third parties such as discount facilities with more retailers, increase the number of banks administering the discounts and enhanced monitoring and evaluation of impact of non-monetary benefits.” The Minister said the National Building Society Limited is set to contribute towards the three national priorities of enhanced service delivery, improved access to affordable and quality housing and improved financial inclusion as anchored under NDS1.
In line with NDS1, the Minister said NBS was focusing on delivering houses, flats and serviced stands while offering mortgage financing and working with partners through public-private partnerships to achieve and exceed expectations.
“As many of you may be aware, the government is driving financial inclusion and NBS is committed to delivering on the same. The number of outlets where customers can access services is set to increase multi-fold and the bank is ready to support all customers in the formal and informal sector, institutions and previously marginalised groups like persons with disabilities, women and youth,” he said.
The Zimbabwe Institute of Public Administration Management is the premier Public Administration and Management Institute for Government and will focus on leading the way in modernising public sector service delivery by building the capacity of public servants across the nation.
As the Public Service Academy takes shape, Minister Mavhima said it was imperative that ZIPAM took a leading role in shaping the learning environment, knowledge and skills in management and leadership.
“There is a need for ZIPAM to push for the use of technology in the civil service including through designing appropriate frameworks for deploying technology and building capacity and motivation for effective utilisation of technology.”
Performance based contracts were introduced by the Second Republic in 2021 to ensure effectiveness in local authorities, public institutions and state owned entities for citizens to get the best from public office bearers.
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