daniel chigunwe
Nqobile Tshili
Bulawayo Bureau
THE mandate to deliver without fail is clear as President Mnangagwa expects ministers and Government agencies to work hard towards improving the lives of ordinary people across the country in line with the drive to achieve an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
Newly appointed ministers said this in separate interviews yesterday as they expressed their determination to deliver tangible results in their respective portfolios to ensure every Zimbabwean enjoys the benefits of the Second Republic.
The new ministers and their deputies took their oath of office in Harare on Tuesday and comprise a blend of experienced and young cadres with diverse credentials.
The ministers have promised to hit the ground running in line with the expectations of the President who has clearly articulated his vision to steer robust transformation of the economy to foster inclusive advancement.
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science, and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira, who retained his position said the focus is to consolidate the gains achieved since 2018.
“Normally people say we want to double efforts, we quadruple our efforts to make sure that we achieve the fastest result, which is felt by the people in the household and in the community that education or science and technology education should now touch people’s lives at the grassroot level,” he said.
“We also need to consolidate the reconfiguration of our science, technology, and innovation landscape because we have done the legal reforms that are necessary and it is time for growth. We are going to stimulate value chains.”
Prof Murwira said for communities to appreciate the value of education touching their lives, universities are involved in outgrower schemes where they source raw materials from communities while producing value-added goods.
He said the country’s higher and tertiary sector needs to be measured by the products that it produces as opposed to just the certificate of graduates.
Prof Murwira said in his re-appointment, President Mnangagwa instructed him to drive the country’s industrialisation and modernisation through knowledge-based solutions.
“So, His Excellency, the President, Dr E.D Mnangagwa basically tells us that the consideration of a nation or what we see in a nation is a product of what we know and what we can do and this is benchmarked on our education,” he said.
“Because you can’t develop your country beyond what you know and what you can do, so, by sharpening what we know and what we can do, we can extend the scope and level of development in our country.”
Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube, who was reappointed to her position said President Mnangagwa had a simple but precise instruction to her.
“The President is wishing us well and wants people who work hard and as he has assigned us, he expects us to deliver,” said Minister Ncube.
She said being reappointed to coordinate development in Bulawayo puts her in a familiar position to spearhead development in the city.
“We have been working on improving infrastructure in our schools. We want to add more classroom blocks in order for us to reduce hot sitting and we are doing this with our partners.
“We also have to work hand in hand with newly elected councillors so that we improve the city’s infrastructure, roads, among other things,” said Minister Ncube.
She said with improved power generation in the country, Bulawayo is better positioned to attract investment as previously the electricity crisis has been directly linked to water shortages in the city, a development that scares away investment.
Minister Ncube said the city is determined to bring in new investors who will set up new factories and create employment for the locals. She said the Government would address the welfare for the vulnerable.
Newly appointed Energy and Power Development Minister, Edgar Moyo, expressed gratitude to President Mnangagwa for appointing him to lead a ministry that is key to the country’s developmental agenda.
He said while he is new to the ministry, he will ride on the successes that the energy sector has recorded in the past five years including the commissioning of Hwange Units 7 and 8.
“I’ve just been sworn in and I’m still familiarising myself with what is happening in the ministry. But I will ride on the energy infrastructure development that is already under implementation,” said Minister Moyo.
“We need to rehabilitate our old infrastructure and improve power distribution. We just need to accelerate in the area and contribute to the growth of the economy and the rural industrialisation drive.”
The minister said the country also needs to seriously deal with vandalism of power infrastructure as it is a threat to economic development. He also stressed the need to spread power to all areas in the periphery.
Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Richard Moyo, said he was elated by his reappointment and pledged to continue advancing the development agenda, which was witnessed in the last five years.
“The President has shown confidence in how I managed the province in advancing his interest. So, the reappointment means we have to complete the projects that were yet to be completed such as the construction of Lake Gwayi Shangani,” he said.
“We should push that and by the end of the year, we should start drawing water from the dam. We also are pushing for the electrification of our civil servants’ houses in Lupane, which will enable us to fully relocate to the provincial capital and provide services to communities within their reach.”
Minister Moyo said the Government through devolution funds, has constructed a lot of clinics and the agenda is to bring similar projects closer to communities.
Professor Paul Mavima, who has been appointed to lead the newly created Ministry of Skills Audit Development, said the new portfolio is critical for human capital development. He said his ministry is expected to identify the country’s skills gap and come up with strategies of addressing them.
“Basically, there are two issues, the first issue relates to identifying across the board the skills that we need in the country and finding the skills gap that we have.
“Skills are an important aspect of the economy without which we cannot develop as a country,” he said.
“After conducting the skills audit, we come up with strategies of total delivery of these skills in the various levels of the economy.”
Prof Mavima said this will entail collaborating with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, the tertiary sector, industry and public service, labour, and social welfare, which has national employment councils for most industries. He said some of the skills that need to be addressed are for those already employed as they need retooling for increased productivity.
Prof Mavima said human capital development is the backbone of a productive and growing country.
Online Reporter