Zimpapers Logo

Conrad Mupesa Mashonaland West Bureau

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Deputy Minister Kindness Paradza recently interfaced with the Makonde rural community on National Development Strategy 1 (NDS-1).

The community converged at Hombwe Business Centre on Saturday where various Government department speakers interacted with them. 

This comes at a time when the Government was seeking to have everyone on board in relation to its programmes and developmental benefits. 

“The Government expects everyone to be on board regarding its various development agendas. President Mnangagwa is emphasising that no one should be left behind. 

“Through his Vision 2030 which aims at making Zimbabwe an upper-middle-economy by the year 2030, citizens are expected to move with the Government,” said Cde Paradza.

He said the interaction was another way of involving the rural communities which were often left behind.

While NDS1 and Vision 2030 agendas have been given publicity, it is the face-to-face interactions aimed at getting community responses, that would help Zimbabwe attain its vision. 

The community members, including the elderly who thanked President Mnangagwa for crafting Vision 2030 and NDS1, applauded Deputy Minister Paradza for arranging the interactive meeting to cascade down information. 

“We have been hearing and reading about Vision 2030 and NDS1 on radio, television and newspapers. This interaction, has made it clear for us what NDS1 is all about. 

“We also got to mention some of our challenges that we fill derail the efforts of making Zimbabwe an upper middle-income economy by 2030,” one elderly mentioned.

 During the interactive session, the elderly expressed concerns over their exclusions from the economic drive with many bemoaning availability of network coverage in their areas hindering the use of mobile money platforms. 

The elderly also called on the Government to introduce banks and loan facilities to benefit them amid concerns that the Government was biased towards youth and women.

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)senior bank examiner, Mr David Zahwe said the national financial inclusion strategy was leaving no one behind in terms economic growth while Finance and Economic Development chief economist, Ms Sylocious Chaturuka, unpacked the NDS1 to the elderly.

Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure said societies were supposed to help fight corruption by exposing Government officeholders who are the key drivers of NDS1 and Vision 2030.