Chronicle Editor
Wallace Ruzvidzo, Harare Bureau
ALL sectors of the economy should think outside the box and adopt modern strategies as the country moves towards the attainment of upper-middle-income economic status by 2030, President Mnangagwa has said.
Over the years, the Second Republic has continued to stress the importance of modernisation and industrialisation as catalytic in Zimbabwe’s development trajectory.
In his address to the Zanu-PF Central Committee in Harare yesterday, President Mnangagwa made a rallying call to all sectors of the economy to leapfrog traditional development stages and think outside the box. The Central Committee meeting preceded the 21st National People’s Conference, to be officially opened in Bulawayo tomorrow by the President. The conference is running under the theme, “Industrialise and Modernise Towards the Attainment of Vision 2030”, which dovetails with the President’s call for the adoption of modern strategies.
“At this critical stage of our national development, the importance of innovation, research, science and technology in scaling up socio-economic transformation, cannot be overemphasised.
“The Conference theme, “Industrialise and Modernise Towards the Attainment of Vision 2030,” is a call to leap-frog traditional development stages.
“All sectors are challenged, therefore, to think outside the box and adopt these modern tools so that we continue to be relevant, both now and in the future,” President Mnangagwa said. The Second Republic, he said, has already set the tone for the country’s industrialisation and modernisation hence it was imperative that the generality of Zimbabweans remain resolute. President Mnangagwa said Government was very much capable of delivering the people’s aspirations.
“Leveraging on our Heritage Based Education 5.0 framework, we have laid the groundwork for accelerated industrialisation and modernisation driven by our key national resources, innovation, research and local solutions. Let us strengthen our resolve to face head-on, the task before us of leading our own country, through our own wisdom and culture, using our own resources and always having faith to develop, industrialise and modernise our country, ourselves.
“Through the implementation of people-centred policies and unity of purpose, we shall continue to lift many out of poverty into prosperity,” he said. President Mnangagwa said Zanu-PF would continue facilitating the deployment of homegrown solutions to propel the growth of all sectors of the economy.
“I urge the party to be abreast with developments in the innovation and research space, especially in institutions of higher learning.
“I am aware, however, that no one has a monopoly of knowledge and innovation. As such, the Party is encouraged to transmit to the grassroots, the growing importance of our ongoing industrialisation and modernisation agenda.
“Our structures should be participants and not mere observers of this ongoing revolution,” he said.
As the country modernises and industrialises, President Mnangagwa urged the general citizenry to never lose sight of the Zimbabwean culture and identity.“This is the core of who we are. Our people should learn from other nations but our distinct identity must remain intact,” he said.
President Mnangagwa applauded the private sector and the youth for their increased collaboration and for heeding the Second Republic’s philosophy that ‘nyika inovakwa nevene vayo’.
This collaboration and action, said President Mnangagwa, was certainly a boost towards the attainment of Vision 2030.
“I commend the growing public and private sector collaboration in advancing our quest to realise Vision 2030 through harnessing innovation, science and technology development.
“True to our national development philosophy, Nyika inovakwa, inotongwa, inonamatigwa nevene vayo/ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhulekelwe ngabanikazi balo, I was pleased to witness the growing ingenuity and resourcefulness of our talented citizenry at the recently held Presidential Innovation Fair and Awards ceremony as well as the Research Council of Zimbabwe Symposium.
“The young people of our country, from primary education right up to tertiary level, are making great strides in embracing our clarion call, as outlined in the Heritage-Based Education 5.0 Model,” he said.
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