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Yoliswa Dube
A FEW months ago government formulated a novel plan in pursuit of a new trajectory for accelerated economic growth and wealth creation.The country’s economic blueprint, Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset), was crafted to achieve sustainable development and social equity and is anchored on indigenisation, empowerment and employment creation which will be largely propelled by the judicious exploitation of the country’s abundant human and natural resources.
This results-based agenda is built around four strategic clusters that will enable Zimbabwe to achieve economic growth and reposition itself as one of the strongest economies in the region and beyond.
The four strategic clusters identified are: Food Security and Nutrition; Social Services and Poverty Eradication; Infrastructure and Utilities and Value Addition and Beneficiation.
Women are set to play a critical role in the successful implementation of Zim-Asset as well as in developing the economy and improving the livelihoods of their families and the nation at large. They are an important group of people in any society and are the builders and shapers of the nation.
Small business owner Sithokozile Hlabangu said she has high hopes for the country’s economy going forward considering there were working policies put in place to drive the economy in the right direction.
“I believe there is hope for Zimbabwe going forward seeing that the government has put in place policies that are expected to steer the country in the right direction.
“As it stands, we as businesspeople need support in our endeavours so that we also contribute significantly to the economy,” she said.
Hlabangu said while she had not read the Zim-Asset document, she was hopeful that those responsible for facilitating for the development of the country were in right stead.
“At the end of the day, we rely on government to help us achieve our economic goals,” she said.
Government ministries and agencies, the private sector and development partners, and the nation at large are expected to work together in championing the implementation of this results-based agenda.
The Office of the President and Cabinet will play a leading and coordinating role as overseer of the implementation process to ensure attainment of set targets of the plan.
By coming up with Zim-Asset, government seeks to address on a sustainable basis, the numerous challenges affecting quality service delivery and economic growth.
Minister of Small to Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development Cde Sithembiso Nyoni said women were at the centre of Zimbabwe’s economic growth and would therefore be expected to play a pivotal role to ensure the successful implementation of Zim-Asset.
“Women are at the centre of our economic growth and the generation of income in the country. As it stands, 60 percent of the small to medium enterprises in the country are run by women and these small to medium enterprises are driving our economy in terms of marketing and services for example,” she said.
Cde Nyoni said the bulk of the growers of food in the country were women, hence they are significant contributors in the quest to achieve the first pillar of Zim-Asset, food security and nutrition.
“Like I said, women are at the centre of it all. They are the growers of food and like is outlined in Zim-Asset, the country needs to ensure food security as well,” she said.
As part of the implementation structure and in an effort to engender team spirit in the operations of government, clusters which relate to the cabinet committee system have been created.
The clusters are expected to eliminate compartmentalisation and the silo mentality by creating strong synergistic relationships that fully exploit the benefits of both horizontal and vertical linkages as a way of institutionalising harmonised approaches to government programming.
Zimbabwe has enjoyed peace and stability since its independence in 1980, which has led to the creation of a conducive environment for sustainable socio-economic growth and development.
Although the country is enjoying peace and tranquility, it continues to face the threats of foreign interference, subversion and economic sabotage.
After a resounding victory in the July 31 polls last year and in pursuit of a new route of accelerated economic growth and wealth creation, government put in place Zim-Asset spanning the period October 2013 to December 2018.
The cluster approach to be used is set to enable government to prioritise its programmes and projects for implementation with a view to realising broad results that seek to address the country’s socio-economic challenges.
Given the resource constraints, government will come up with robust and prudent fiscal and monetary policy measures to buttress and boost the implementation of Zim-Asset.
The plan is expected to consolidate the gains brought about by the land reform, indigenisation and economic empowerment and employment creation programmes, which have empowered the communities through land redistribution, community share ownership trusts and employee share ownership schemes, among others.
One of its key strategies is: “Availing and increasing economic opportunities for women, youths and the physically challenged in communities in conformity with the indigenisation, empowerment and employment creation thrust.”
In implementing this plan, government envisions the growing of a robust economy that is highly competitive in the region and the rest of Africa, as well as the building of an empowered society that owns the means of production.
During the plan period, the economy is projected to grow by an average of 7.3 percent. It was expected to grow by 3.4 percent in 2013 and 6.2 percent in 2014 and continue on an upward growth trajectory to 9.9 percent by 2018.
Londile Moyo
Online Reporter