President Mnangagwa opens inaugural Irrigation Investment Conference

Rumbidzayi Zinyuke

Senior Reporter

has officially opened the first Zimbabwe Irrigation Investment Conference being held in Harare today.

Running under the theme ‘Public – Private Partnership for Sustainable and Structured Irrigation Financing to Deliver Food Security, Everywhere, Everyday’, the conference aims to boost irrigation development and provide opportunities for public-private sector engagements as the country moves to explore ways of climate-proofing agricultural production.

Government has prioritised irrigation development to move away from overreliance on rain-fed agriculture.

This has been done through the prioritisation of public sector investment programmes and interventions by development and private sector partners.

The President said the current drought had not spared Zimbabwe and called for more targeted interventions to ensure that the country and Africa at large become food secure once again.

“It is now urgent and imperative for us to think outside the box to de-risk our nation from the vagaries of climate change. Similarly, stakeholders and communities alike should accelerate the implementation and adoption of mechanisms to climate-proof our agriculture sector, beginning at the household level,” he said.