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Zimbabwe has made considerable progress in advancing sustainable development despite several challenges affecting the southern African nation, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said in his 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the new Parliament Building in Harare today.
“Our commitment to enhance the well-being of the people of our motherland, Zimbabwe by entrenching unity, stability, security and development remains a key mission for my Administration. The government is committed to the realisation of the promises made by our ruling Party, ZANU PF. Despite enormous challenges and difficulties as a result of the illegal economic sanctions imposed on our country, we are recording encouraging progress. The philosophy of leaving no one and no place behind is anchored on inclusive transformation and shared prosperity.
“Our nation’s strength lies in unity in diversity, hence, social cohesion and our unitary state shall be jealously guarded and defended by my Government. Tendencies that fuel discord based upon perceived, regional and tribal differences, as well as social and economic hierarchies have no place in our nation and must be rejected,” the President said.
Regrettably, the El Nino-induced drought constrained growth across all economic sectors, particularly the agriculture sector. However, under the Food Deficit Mitigation Programme, communities requiring food assistance in rural areas are receiving grain, while vulnerable households in urban areas are benefitting through the Cash-for-Cereals Programme. Of particular note is the School Feeding component which has been designed to avail at least one decent meal per day for all learners in communities hard hit by the drought.
The Grain Marketing Board has established Agro-shops, mainly in rural depots, as part of a raft of measures to ensure food availability, at more affordable prices. The establishment of 35 000 Village Business Units, is gaining momentum supported by the Presidential Borehole Drilling Programme and will further enhance food and nutrition security at the household level.
President Mnangagwa expressed profound appreciation to all the countries and organisations who responded to Zimbabwe’s Domestic and International Appeal for Humanitarian Assistance in the first quarter of 2024, following the devastating drought.
Farmers play a key role in feeding the people and contributing to Zimbabwe’s agricultural self-reliance.
A new record wheat harvest of 600,000 tonnes is projected from the 2024 winter crop. This is a result of the unity of purpose and effective policy frameworks. There is optimism in respect of the 2024–2025 Summer Cropping Season, with projections of normal to above normal rainfall in most provinces. The pace of input distribution under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa Presidential Climate-Proofed Agriculture Production Scheme and other programmes is impressive.
To date, various finance institutions and private sector stakeholders have committed to supporting farmers under the National Enhanced Agricultural Productivity Scheme.
The Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) scooped the prestigious 2024 Africa Food Prize, in recognition of Zimbabwe’s people-centred transformative agriculture policies. For the upcoming summer season, ARDA has been given a target of 500,000 tonnes of cereals for the Strategic Grain Reserve.
Water harvesting remains critical to climate change mitigation and adaptation towards complementing rain-fed production systems. The full utilisation of small dams and weirs as well as conveyancing around the bigger dams is a top priority for the Second Republic.
The Rural Infrastructure Development Agency has scaled up assistance to communities with tillage activities as the summer farming season draws closer. Beyond water provision, the Government has rolled out a programme to bolster hay-bailing and transportation to drier regions.
The mining sector continues to attract favourable investment. Demand for new energy minerals is also growing with its associated opportunities for the country’s entry into the value chain industries. Mining houses in the gold and other precious minerals sector are called to scale up production.
Assets under the Sovereign Wealth Fund are envisioned to bolster performance and revenue from the mining and other sectors. The over-arching goal is for the rich natural resource endowments of our beloved motherland, to benefit all Zimbabweans.
Tourism arrivals continue on an upward trajectory, recording growth higher than the same period last year. Widespread infrastructure development projects have resulted in positive spill-offs across other sectors of the economy. The Nhimbe/Ilima Programme has been modified to see provincial road authorities pooling together equipment into single construction units to implement works on prioritised projects at the local level. The requisite funding and technical support for the initiative will be availed by the Government.
Going into the future, infrastructure development will be a critical pillar to economic growth, revitalisation and creation of jobs as well as stimulation of broader production and capacity utilisation.
Meanwhile, it is regrettable that road traffic accidents continue to plague our nation. The government will implement more stringent measures to safeguard lives.
National power supplies remain subdued, partly due to low generation at the Kariba Power Station. Improvements are expected from the pending commissioning of several projects by Independent Power Producers. Over and above the use of solar energy, the country’s position on the use of alternative energy sources should be intentionally examined.
The roadmap for crafting the National Development Strategy 2 is now in place. Parliament is called upon to avail the usual support in the related processes.
Currency stabilisation is at the core of macroeconomic stability. The adoption of the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) in April 2024, was an important step towards stabilising the domestic currency anchored by gold and precious metal reserves. It remains the duty of all of us to respect and abide by measures and instruments intended to maintain economic stability and tame inflation.
The government is supporting the transformation of the media landscape, through bold measures to preserve culture and nurture a positive country image. True to the mantra of leaving no one and no place behind, the Montrose Television Studios in Bulawayo are being comprehensively modernised. Similarly, community radio stations such as Khulumani FM and Central FM as well as Mbembesi and Ntepe Manama, in Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South, respectively, together with the Madziva FM in Mashonaland Central Province are undergoing upgrades to increase the reach of broadcasting services.
Investments by more local and international players in the telecommunications industry are welcome towards better quality, as well as availability and affordability of digital and telecommunication services.
President Mnangagwa said the Second Republic remains committed to enhancing the health delivery system. To this end, the Government is availing resources for the acquisition of essential medicines and specialist medical equipment for all our Central, Provincial and District hospitals.
In line with emerging technologies, the introduction of telemedicine to facilitate virtual specialist consultations, for citizens in remote parts of our country, is being speeded up.
Under the ongoing health sector reforms, the Government is implementing measures to ensure universal health coverage and lifting people from the burden of disease.
The nation is assured that the Government has put in place robust surveillance and response plans for threats posed by public health risks. Communities are urged to continue exercising strict health and hygiene standards.
The pace of modernisation and industrialisation depends on the type of education that is exposed to the young population.
The recent curriculum review for the Primary and Secondary sectors was far-reaching, while ICT penetration is making Zimbabwean students globally competitive. Building on the success registered by Innovation Hubs and Industrial Parks at universities, the focus will now shift to deliberately supporting the commercialisation of products and services from these institutions for further growth of local industry and the economy as a whole.
Women and micro, small and medium enterprises are increasingly being aided to enter local, regional as well as international markets. Through the re-oriented Youth Service in Zimbabwe Programme, the youth are participating in community projects such as the construction and rehabilitation of classrooms, teachers’ accommodation, clinics, roads, boreholes, dip tanks, bridges and houses for vulnerable households.
Presidebnt Mnangagwa said environmental management practices should be emphasised across all the provinces, districts and wards in exercising good stewardship over our God-given motherland, Zimbabwe.
He commended the Zimbabwe Defence Forces for their commitment to defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation and said the government will continue to resource the security sector with modern technologies in tandem with global trends, to ensure that they efficiently discharge their mandate.
The nation is drawing notable benefits from the Second Republic’s successful Engagement and Re-engagement Policy. The President hailed the resounding success that characterised Zimbabwe’s hosting of the 44th SADC Summit and ancillary events.
To advance regional economic integration, investment and growth, Zimbabwe signed a tripartite pact with Botswana and Mozambique for the construction of a railway line that links our three countries. Another tripartite agreement with Zambia and Mozambique established an initiative for the management of shared natural resources, as well as fauna and flora.
The first external e-passport offices at the Zimbabwe Consulates in South Africa are now open. Going forward, the service will be rolled out to key destinations. The Second Republic will continue to foster stronger, collaborative relationships with our Diasporan nationals, for win-win benefits and accelerated socio-economic development of our motherland. In unity of purpose, success across all sectors of the economy is guaranteed.