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Lovemore Chikova Development Matrix
Devolution has been widely embraced in Zimbabwe since the New Dispensation under President Mnangagwa indicated it was pushing a developmental trajectory.

That devolution is taking root is of no doubt, with all provinces, including Harare and Bulawayo, the two metropolitan provinces, touting projects to be undertaken.

The Government has been at the forefront of ensuring a proper take-off of this developmental concept, which has performed wonders in some countries.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube has been committing funds to devolution in the National Budget, beginning last year.

In 2019, the devolution budget was US$310 million and this was when the National Budget was being done in United States dollars.

This year, Prof Ncube’s Budget was done in local currency, and the allocation for devolution amounted to $2,93 billion.

The money is being allocated to councils, some of which have already started implementing projects to uplift their areas.

So far, devolution is on the right trajectory to become a successful development concept for Zimbabwe, but a lot still needs to be done to realise the intended benefits.

Processes to pass the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 2) Bill should be quickened because the law has a huge bearing on moving forward devolution.

At the moment, it is not clear who exactly should be in charge of the development concept in the provinces.

Provincial ministers, provincial administrators, district administrators, Members of the National Assembly, Senators and councillors all claim in their speeches to be spearheading devolution.

This is understandable in the absence of provincial and metropolitan councils which are mandated by the Constitution to lead the process of devolution.

This is why it is critical that the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 2) Bill be fast-tracked because it contains provisions that govern the setting up of such councils.

There has been a long debate on whether or not the section in the Constitution which allows Members of Parliament to sit in provincial and metropolitan councils should be retained.

The argument being that the legislators are supposed to play an oversight role over provincial and metropolitan councils, and there would be conflict of interest if they are allowed to sit in the councils.

It will be tantamount to overseeing their own work. This anomaly is being addressed through removing the constitutional provision that allowed legislators to be part of the councils.

While the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.2) Bill is expected to correct the situation, the more it takes long to be passed, the more it delays the setting up of these crucial development councils.

Without the provincial and metropolitan councils, it will appear as if devolution is being done on piece-meal basis, and not coordinated enough to uplift the whole provincial economy.

What is happening at the moment is that it is up to district council officials to decide what projects they want to embark on with the allocation from central Government.

Yet, guidance should be coming from a central authority within the province after studying how such a project would contribute to the entire economy of the province, and eventually that of the country.

This problem will be solved once the provincial and metropolitan councils are in place. It is imperative that once such councils are established, their focus should be the development of infrastructure to enable the smooth operation of subsequent projects.

Of course, there will be a temptation to go for certain projects because they are likely to bring in money immediately, but without proper support infrastructure, such initiatives might not be effective.

Immediate attention should be on roads, agricultural infrastructure like dams and irrigation networks, schools and health facilities.

This means the first task of the provincial and metropolitan councils should be to come up with a well-substantiated development programme that has the potential to catapult communities into the 21st development economy.

This entails considering a number of focus areas that can be game changers in developing both rural and urban areas.

Poor road networks in many parts of the country can act as a hindrance to the goals of devolution. For rural areas, efficient transportation has the potential to widen access to markets, facilitate easy movement of people and goods and help integrate rural areas with urban areas.

The other area that will need immediate attention is the availing of energy, especially to rural areas.

Devolution is expected to change the status quo by bringing industrial development to marginalised areas, and without efficient provision of energy, such a goal might be difficult to attain.

The development councils, once they are set up, should thoroughly consider quick means through which energy can easily be availed to areas under their jurisdiction.

Renewable energy should be highly considered, especially harnessing solar energy which can be a crucial game changer when it comes to the provision of power.

The provincial and metropolitan councils will have to invest heavily in the generation of electricity to power the envisaged industries, schools, hospitals and other establishments.

The developmental agenda being pursued through devolution requires a healthy population to move it forward.

This means access to health facilities should be another important aspect of laying the ground for successful devolution.

The provincial and metropolitan councils should seriously consider upgrading profiles of the health centres, especially through the provision of electricity and modern equipment.

This comes with deliberate investment policies to upscale access to health services, especially in the rural areas.

Devolution should also be about bridging the communication gap between rural and urban areas, and Zimbabwe and other countries.

This places Information Communication Technologies (ICT) as a prerequisite to the success of the devolution concept through efficient connectivity.

At the click of a button, communities can change their lives for the better through acquiring knowledge on how to solve their developmental problems, and learning from others.

The presence of ICTs, especially in rural areas, brings benefits across the board, including in agriculture, education, health, general economic development and tourism. Knowledge can easily be acquired in these fields through ICTs.

With the perennial droughts now confronting Zimbabwe mainly attributed to climate change, devolution should take care of means to mitigate against such a  calamity.

If food security is at risk, it will be difficult to push other developmental projects since all attention would be directed at serving people’s lives.

The answer should be in laying the foundation to food security through establishment of water bodies, and eventually irrigation facilities.

Once people are food secure, they become easy to mobilise for their contribution in pushing the devolution projects forward.

Provincial councils should always consider that agriculture is the backbone for the development of rural areas, and their efforts should be concentrated on securing the sector.

There are many irrigation policies that were developed in the past, but not implemented, and these should provide a starting point on how localities can move forward in developing the sector.

The advantage is that many communities in the country have water bodies ready to provide water for irrigation.

But the problem has been lack of irrigation facilities around these water bodies, a situation that has resulted in communities suffering food shortages when they could have been easily bailed out.

There are many other areas that those driving the devolution agenda will need to consider for a successful implementation of the programme.

There is no doubt that with deliberate efforts directed towards uplifting communities, devolution has the potential to bring fundamental changes to the developmental trajectory of the country.

What is unique about devolution is that it brings the decision-making process closer to the local communities, which are in a position to know the areas that need immediate attention for a quick turnaround of their fortunes.

People will get a unique opportunity to drive development within their localities, instead of having to wait for officials from offices kilometres away, to lead the developmental processes.

The number of projects that have already taken off under devolution, even in the absence of the provincial and metropolitan councils, clearly indicate the success of this programme.

Devolution is when central government transfers decision-making powers on development to local  government.

It is not about political power, which will remain residing in central Government.

The development thrust was enshrined in the new Constitution adopted in 2013, but had not been pushed until the advent of the New Dispensation in November  2017.