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VP Mnangagwa

Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has challenged African countries to intensify capacity building programmes to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the continent’s Agenda 2063.

In a speech read on his behalf by Minister of Policy Coordination and Promotion of Socio Economic Ventures in the Office of the President Simon Khaya Moyo at the close of the 25th anniversary of the African Capacity Building Foundation in Harare yesterday, VP Mnangagwa said the continent, together with its development partners and the civil society should explore ways to build capacity for the good of the continent.

“The time to accelerate capacity building initiatives is now or never,” he said.

“If we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the continent’s Agenda 2063, we should build capacity. There is need to redefine capacity in the wake of new challenges.

“We have had the deadly Ebola virus that has cost us many lives. Our countries are fighting subdued commodity prices.

“The El Nino weather effect has wreaked havoc in the southern region (and) there are various political conflicts on the continent.”

Such kind of challenges, VP Mnangagwa said, required Africa to explore new ways of addressing them.

He said Africa was endowed with abundant resources but without capacity building, its population would remain in poverty.

“Yes, we have resources in Africa,” he said.

“However, without the requisite capacity, our populations will remain in abject poverty and we continue to miss development milestones.”

VP Mnangagwa said although significant progress had been made in the area of capacity building, a lot still needed to be done.

He said it was important for countries to share information and ideas as a way of improving methods and approaches to capacity building.

“It is my fervent hope that one day we will cease to focus more on how to build capacity, and instead discuss what Africa needs to do with its excess capacity,” said VP Mnangagwa.

He said it was important to build capacity as it worked as a base for economic off take by future generations.

“Only through this commitment can we have the capacity we need, designed to address the challenges and realities we face in our respective countries.”

The 25th ACBF anniversary was held under the theme: “Developing capacity for Africa’s Economic and Social Transformation” and was attended by several senior Government officials including Cabinet Ministers.