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Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
EVERY citizen should positively contribute to the country’s economic programme, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation, President Mugabe said yesterday.
He also implored companies to beneficiate resources before export and maximise earnings from all products.

Zim-Asset is a five-year home-grown economic blueprint running from 2013 to 2018 based on Zanu-PF’s manifesto for last year’s harmonised elections, President Mugabe’s inauguration address and his speech on the occasion of the opening of the First Session of the Eighth Parliament.

President Mugabe, who was speaking at the National Sports Stadium in Harare, at the main Independence Day celebrations, urged everyone to play a part.

“All of you are required to participate in our Zim-Asset wherever you are in agriculture do it well, you have some cattle or goats look after them well; you believe in running chicken runs, do them well; piggeries, do them well. And it means you must be productive, studying the best ways of doing them.

“Go to those with the best knowledge and you will be assisted. If you need funds talk to the windows we create for funds in that area, especially in SMEs there are funding mechanisms which can assist them. But don’t be a good borrower and a bad debtor,” President Mugabe said.

Zim-Asset, President Mugabe said, is a broad based framework adopted by Government to improve the economy.

“Takati ndiyo agenda yedu, tinoiti agenda hapana zvazvinoreva zvinongoreva bumbiro chaizvoizvo yepfungwa dzatakaisa pamwechete dzekuti ndezvipi zvatinoda kuti zvititungamirire pamakore arikikuuya aya?

“Tisimudzire nyika yedu, tive nehupfumi hunoenda kuvanhu, hwakatarisana nehurombo hwevanhu nezvido zvevanhu ndozvinotaura Zim-Asset,” he said.

President Mugabe said Zim-Asset mainly focused on value addition of minerals and agricultural produce to increase revenues to Government and foster employment creation.

He said value addition would also improve the internal skills base as people boosted their incomes.

“I-agenda hongu asi yekupindura zvino nyika yedu kuipa musandu mutsva. Unorevei musandu wacho? Tinotarisana nehupfumi huripozve, hupfumi hunobva muvhu, agriculture, tinotarisana nehupfumi zvakare huripasi madiamonds, goridhe, simbi mhangura, chrome, marasha zvese zviri pasi zvicherwa izvi zvinotengeswa zvichitengeswa asi takati pabumbiro rataita iri reagenda dzepfungwa dzedu tinoda kunyanyowanza kugadziridza zvatinenge tawana pasi apa (beneficiation) kuti zvive nemuteng0 wemberi. Mhangura painobva pasi apa inenge isiri simbi asi toita kuti ive simbi . . . tinenge towana mari yakawanda pakuitengesa ichiri mhangura ndopfungwa dzatinadzo idzodzo,” President Mugabe said.

He said value addition would transform the economy and “transform our abilities and capabilities”.

“Nemachines atinenenge toshandisa anenge ava emberi ruzivo rwevanhu rwunenge rwuchienderera nayo nekukwirira kunenge kwaita mabasa atiri kutaura ndokubudirira kunoita nyika.”

President Mugabe urged tertiary institutions to direct their efforts towards equipping students with practical skills to ensure the success of the blueprint.

He added that Government would ramp up efforts to rehabilitate infrastructure such as roads, railways, health institutions and water reticulation as part of Zim-Asset.
The President added that a Cabinet Committee had been established to look at the issue of water supply, especially in urban areas.