adminJoseph Madzimure Senior Reporter
POLITICAL Actors Dialogue (Polad) members yesterday convened a workshop in Harare to contribute towards the five-year National Development Strategy (NDS) to bolster the development of infrastructural projects deemed vital for the attainment of an upper middle income status by 2030.
Polad members were working on coming up with a position paper, which they will submit to the Government for inclusion in the NDS.
The workshop came after the Government rolled out outreach programmes targeting all stakeholders to gather views as part of the wider stakeholder consultations towards crafting the NDS.
The NDS will succeed the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP), a two-year economic blueprint launched in October 2018.
TSP set in motion a number of infrastructure projects spanning across energy, roads and social services.
It focused on stabilising the macro-economy, laying a foundation for sustainable and shared private sector-led growth.
The Government has so far engaged political players, including progressive opposition parties, churches, civic society organisations, private players and cooperating partners in the formulation of the first 5-year National Development Strategy.
The strategy is expected to be launched this month, coinciding with the preparations for the 2021 National Budget.
Zanu PF Secretary for Legal Affairs Cde Paul Mangwana said Polad members are putting their contributions towards the formulation of NDS.
“We are making an input into the national strategic plan which is being undertaken by the Government. As you know Polad being a gathering of all political parties, we are making our input,” said Cde Mangwana.
The members were divided into different clusters to contribute towards the NDS.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Ms Lucia Matinenga said they believed the national strategic plan will drive economic growth because it is a shared document.
“We have met today as stakeholders involved in the crafting of the national development policy document being led by the Office of the President and Cabinet. The process, which they have done is extensive. So Polad naturally is one of those stakeholders. What we are doing today is to actually deliberate on our input into that strategy,” she said.
Polad chairperson in the economic cluster Mr Trust Chikohora said there is need to work towards achieving vision 2030 through the NDS.
“Major focus is on all the key pillars of vision 2030 so that we can contribute to the National Development Strategy, which will operate from 2021 to 2025, which the Government is currently finalising,” he said.
Key issues that were discussed include economic growth, economic stabilisation, currency and price stabilisation so that the country can achieve single digit inflation.
The Second Republic has pledged to deliver tangible development focusing on infrastructure with many infrastructural projects, including expanding energy infrastructure, airports and roads expansion currently underway.
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