Vusumuzi Dube
Judith Phiri in Victoria Falls
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has called on chief executive officers (CEOs) from around the country to build and improve their internal capacities towards a modern and industrialised country, critical for the attainment of Vision 2030 of achieving an upper-middle income society.
Officially opening the 9th edition of the CEO Africa Annual Roundtable 2023 in Victoria Falls on Thursday, the President said the last five years of his Administration have given clear direction to business and industry on the vision and direction of the country as enunciated in Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy (NDS1).
“In today’s world, knowledge is all around us and shared experience and expertise are critical ingredients to leap-frog the modernisation, industrialisation and development of our country and the African Continent. As such, the theme of the Conference: “Towards African Renaissance: Prospering through Smart Partnerships” is apt and highlights the importance of collaborative partnerships to achieve shared prosperity,” he said.
“In spite of the albatross of illegal economic sanctions, we have managed to grow our economy, implement ease of doing business reforms and maintained a stable macro-economic environment albeit punctuated by various external shocks.”
The President said it was his expectation that the private sector will rise and take up their strategic and important role of driving our country’s economic growth, modernisation and industrialisation to the next levels.
He said through his philosophy Nyika inovakwa, igotongwa, igonamatirwa nevene vayo, Ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhulekelwe ngabanikazi balo, it must echo across all your respective industries and sub-sectors, to galvanise the people to play their part in building their beloved motherland, Zimbabwe.
“Through win-win partnerships, collaboration, dialogue and hard honest work, many more of our people must be lifted out of poverty into prosperity and a higher quality of life. We can no-longer continue to admire the level of development in other countries; we must build the Zimbabwe we want, ourselves; that burden rests with all of us, Government, the private sector, Micro-Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), alike,” he added.
President Mnangagwa said the inherent potential for growth within Africa and Zimbabwe in particular was premised on the rich natural endowments, youth dividend and entrepreneurial nature which must be fully exploited.
He said as the country was now a food secure nation, the milestone was realised through multi- pronged efforts which included the private sector and he challenged more players in the private sector to come on board and support the quest by the Government to consolidate this current position.
The President added: “The growth of agriculture value chains and related industries, especially in rural areas, as well as the need to mitigate the impact of climate change through the provision of boreholes for grass-root communities, should be supported. To date, us in SADC, along with other Regional Economic Communities, are scaling up efforts towards seamless integration amongst countries on the Continent. Zimbabwe is playing its part through facilitating cooperation. trade and fostering socio-cultural cooperation.”
He challenged the private to equally invest in economic development enablers as there was scope for smart partnerships in renewable energy, manufacturing and mining value chains as well as the growth of rural industry systems.
President Mnangagwa said dialogue and the cross-pollination of ideas remains critical for the realisation of the African renaissance and prosperity that the Conference was desirous to see, however, in charting the way to a prosperous future for the country and Continent, he said they must remain true to their own Zimbabwean and African values and priorities.
“Inspired by our rich tradition and history, my Administration transformed the Sovereign Wealth Fund to the Mutapa Investment Fund, named after the great Munhumutapa Empire. This initiative is set to give a new lease of life to previously under-performing state owned enterprises. Let us never be blind or disregard the developments in our own country, in favour of those from elsewhere. As you are aware, my Government adopted the Heritage Based Education 5.0 model which has seen the production of goods and services, through science, technology and innovation.”
Online Reporter