Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
Government yesterday outlined its expectations from all permanent secretaries appointed recently in line with goals set out by President Mnangagwa in his Vision 2030. On top of the list are quick-win projects that impact on the lives of the people in every ministry.
The Office of the President and Cabinet yesterday held an induction workshop for all permanent secretaries and top bureaucrats to acquaint them with Vision 2030 and deliverables expected from them.
In his address, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda explained in detail the President’s Vision 2030 and the transitional stabilisation programme adopted by Cabinet.
Dr Sibanda, who was flanked by his two deputies — Messrs Justin Mupamhanga and George Charamba — and Public Service Commission deputy chair Ambassador Margaret Muchada, said Vision 2030 elevated economics ahead of politics to ensure that by 2030 Zimbabwe would emerge as an upper middle-income economy with high quality life for its citizens.
“The key goals of Vision 2030 are as follows:
- Transform Zimbabwe into an upper middle-income economy with a capita gross income of between US$3 500 and US$5 000 in real terms by 2030.
- To raise employment rates upwards, not only in the formal sector, but also covering the SME sector.
- To progressively reduce poverty rate, to levels, consistent with upper middle income economies.
- To achieve an average life expectancy of over 65 years, and in the process, score in the upper echelons of the happiness and prosperity index.
- To guarantee national food security, affordable, competitive and accessible education and health services, and infrastructural development.
- To rationalise the public service wage bill in order to reduce the fiscal deficit to sustainable levels and to undertake reforms to unlock the potential of public enterprises to effectively contribute to the country’s GDP.”
Among other things, Dr Sibanda said, the priorities of the New Zimbabwe in line with Vision 20340 include restoring national unity, pride and patriotism and broad based citizenry participation in national socio-economic development.
He said re-engagement with the international community, creation of a competitive business environment and aggressive fight against corruption were key to the success of the Second Republic.
Dr Sibanda said Vision 2030 was anchored on five key pillars.
The first pillar, Dr Sibanda said, was the governance pillar.
“Focus is on carrying out governance reforms necessary for laying a solid foundation for sustainable economic take off set out as follows:
- The enunciation of a positive foreign policy hinged on engagement and re-engagement with the global community.
- Investment promotion and creation of a One Stop Shop Investment Centre through accelerated ease of doing business reforms, improved political and economic governance,” he said.
The second pillar relates to inclusive economic growth focusing on agriculture, land and rural resettlement, mining, industrialisation and manufacturing, financial services, tourism, environment and climate change and targeted value addition and product beneficiation.
Macro-economic stability and financial re-engagement is the third pillar of Vision 2030.
Dr Sibanda said this pillar prioritised creation of requisite fiscal space for rapid economic development, implementation of arrears clearance and debt restructuring programme, development of a robust aid coordination, enhancement of financial inclusion and architecture and restoration of foreign currency stability.
On the fourth pillar, which focuses on social development, Dr Sibanda said: “The focus of this pillar is on appropriate education and high quality human capital development, high quality health care services, social protection and social safety nets sanitation and waste management services.”
The fifth pillar is the cross cutting enabling pillar which prioritised information, communication, technology, roads and rail infrastructure development and linkage to regional seaports, airport infrastructure development and air connectivity and power and energy infrastructure.
Dr Sibanda said realisation of Vision 2030 had been divided into three phases namely, the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (October 2018- December 2020), the First Five Year Development Plan (2021-2025) and the Second Five Year Development Plan (2026-2030).