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Continued from last week
Zimbabwe is moving onwards achieving Vision 20230 which entails the country becoming an upper middle income society. The Herald is serialising the Vision 20230 every Thursday for the benefit of our readers.
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Industrial Hubs
The thrust of Vision 2030 with regards to development of industrial hubs is informed by the diversity of the various provinces’ resource endowments and their comparative advantages.
This has informed the development of fiscal and other incentives being offered through established Special Economic Zones across the provinces as follows:
- Bulawayo, heavy industry, leather, footwear, textiles and engineering;
- Harare, information communication technology and health services;
- Manicaland, fruit canning, diamond cutting and polishing;
- Mashonaland Central and East, agro-processing;
- Mashonaland West, agro-processing, chrome, cotton and textiles;
- Masvingo, sugar cane processing;
- Matabeleland South, gold production, and livestock; and
- Midlands, iron and steel corridor, asbestos, gold, leather, footwear and dairy.
The Special Economic Zone concept extends to the provision of Financial Services, and developments along the Tourism Corridor around the Victoria Falls and parts of the Matabeleland North province.
Tourism
Vision 2030 will make Zimbabwe a leading global competitive and preferred tourist destination of choice, while also facilitating domestic tourism.
Vision 2030 prioritises developments in:
- The Eastern Highlands, encompassing Nyanga and Vumba;
- Masvingo, covering Great Zimbabwe and the Gonarezhou Trans-frontier
National Park;
- Matopo National Parks;
- Victoria Falls-Hwange National Park-Binga-Kariba and Mana Pools Tourism Corridor; and
- The Hwange-Sanyati Biological Corridor.
In this regard, connectivity from major tourist source markets to prime tourist resorts will be improved while marketing, branding and perceptions management will be prioritised, augmented by further relaxation of the visa regime.
Tourism Master Plan
Tourism will be driven by implementation of the Tourism National Master Plan, including continued improvement of the country’s image and aggressive marketing efforts.
Vast tourism attractions, ranging from natural to man-made historical sites, offer opportunities for investment in areas such as:
- Hotels and catering;
- Safari and tour operations;
- Gaming;
- Hunting concessions;
- Conferencing and conventions; and
- Production of wildlife documentaries.
Investment in Services
In the medium to long term, there is need for an exit strategy from reliance on primary commodities to secondary and tertiary sectors under an ICT driven knowledge based economy.
In this regard, policy formulation and implementation will prioritise investment in services.
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT PILLAR
Vision 2030 envisages a modern, efficient, reliable, well developed infrastructure which will be an enabler that catalyses Zimbabwe’s economic transformation.
Government will develop a robust, elaborate and resilient infrastructure through the rehabilitation and development of power, road, rail and air transport, water and sanitation, housing and ICT infrastructure.
Power
In the energy sector, Vision 2030 prioritises attainment of optimal generation of power from both renewable and non-renewable sources.
This entails raising installed generation capacity, also through development of new power stations to achieve 95 percent urban and 75 percent rural electrification.
Investment in electricity generation is also benefiting from private sector involvement through:
- Public Private Partnerships (PPPs);
- Joint Ventures; and
- Independent Power Producers (IPP).
Rural electrification, with end use infrastructure development, will target electrification of small holder irrigation schemes, schools, clinics and home industries at rural service centres and growth points.
Vision 2030 major power projects include:
- Hwange Thermal Power Station, addition of Units 7 and 8; and
- Batoka Gorge Hydro-Electric Scheme, which involves construction of the dam, power station, and the power evacuation and transmission infrastructure.
Transport
Development of a functional road and rail transport infrastructure that fosters competitiveness of domestic produced goods is envisaged in Vision 2030.
Furthermore, Zimbabwe is strategically positioned to provide a gateway to transnational road, rail, pipeline and air linkages for the SADC region. Hence, this is also prioritised during the Vision period.
Dualisation & Ring-Roads
This entails investment in dualisation of trunk roads, as well as construction of ring-roads around urban centres, benefiting from revenue contributions from Road Tolling.
Urban Mass Transit System
Introduction of competent vehicle traffic management systems, underpinned by re-introduction of efficient mass urban transit transportation systems is envisaged to decongest urban centre road networks.
Rail
This will be complemented by investment in light rail transport systems in the major urban centres of Harare and Bulawayo, benefiting from already existing rail line infrastructure.
Already, investments to resuscitate the National Railways of Zimbabwe and development of rail infrastructure to world class standards are underway.
Ports of Entry
The anticipated increase of traffic into and out of Zimbabwe over the Vision period necessitates upgrading of ports of entry and establishment of inland dry ports to decongest border posts and ease the flow of traffic.
Airports Infrastructure
Vision 2030 also prioritises upgrading of airports infrastructure, including for the small aerodromes in Mutare, Masvingo and Buffalo Range in Chiredzi to world class standards to ensure improved connectivity, taking advantage of the Open Skies Policy.
Water and Sanitation
Provision of adequate water and sanitation infrastructure will be prioritised to address the huge backlog, and meet the high demand of households and industries, emanating from population and urbanisation growth.
A Master Plan has been developed to guide realisation of water, sanitation, and waste management deliverables under this Vision. The Vision also envisages investments in the water subsector, benefiting dam construction for water damming beyond the economy’s needs, and to include supply to some of the neighbouring countries.
In the rural areas, borehole drilling programmes, coupled with development of conveyance systems will be undertaken, also in partnership with the private sector and Development Partners.
Vision 2030 targeted major dam construction projects include:
- Kunzvi-Musami;
- Gwayi-Shangani; and
- Kondo-Chitowe.
Information and Communication Technology
Vision 2030 embeds Information and Communication Technology (ICT) across all national development strategies as an enabling tool for development, targeting to increase investment in ICT development to enable universal access by 2030.
By 2030, Zimbabwe is envisaged to have internet access at village level, through the extension of the fibre optic backbone, and last mile connectivity.
E-Government
Efficiency of public services will be increased through the application of a comprehensive e-government system.
Critical, will be the need to integrate different systems to interface.
Policies to encourage development of smart applications that meet economic needs will be promoted.
Digital Banking
Increased ICT access and utilisation also enhances financial inclusion, with banking services now digital, and customers’ access to internet based facilities, reducing the role of the traditional physical banking halls.
Digital Broadcasting
Vision 2030 ICT deliverables will modernise media and broadcasting through migration from analogue to digital broadcasting, lowering costs, increasing quality and coverage, as well as improving the optimal management of the radio frequency spectrum.
ICT Zones
Establishment of ICT Special Economic Zones to promote manufacture and assembly of ICT products and development of related software by local industry will be emphasised during the Vision period.
This will act as a catalyst for growth in all sectors of the economy.
To be continued next week
Online Reporter