Effective contribution to national development vital Responsible citizenship is epitomised through continually taking the initiative and President Mnangagwa’s declaration that the first Friday of each month as the environmental cleaning day, which has been religiously observed since December 2018, has been a good example

Rudo Grace Gwata-Charamba

Correspondent

The seal for any sustainable national development effort, and the associated capable society, is seriously dependent on the levels of responsibility assumed by the citizens.

This denotes the essence of meaningful and maximum contribution, in one way or another, by every citizen to the common good and towards building a useful society that is characterised by the consciousness of one’s responsibility for the same.

For example, in Rwanda, members of the public fully apply themselves to street sweeping, gardening and road maintenance, particularly on Umuganda days, although there are professionals responsible for these tasks within the public service.

This partly explains why the East African nation is renowned for zero tolerance on ecology, cleanliness plus unprecedented sustainable growth and development.

In fact, its experience, from polluted to pristine within a few years, proved that true environmental transformation is, indeed, possible.

As intimated in the last instalment, responsible citizens support the nation’s most important vision, such as Vision 2030 in Zimbabwe, which pertains to the general welfare of all individuals and groups with the community.

That is, they are able to collectively address persistent issues, deriving satisfaction from significance rather than reward.

In addition, they improve upon their values and promote civic ideals, practices and productive economic activities.

The Umganda, meaning “coming together in common purpose to achieve an outcome,” a typical collaborative exercise, scheduled on the last Saturday of every month for all citizens in Rwanda, has become a lifestyle, as well as a major boost for national development.

For three hours, everything else stops as all citizens collectively arm themselves with shovels and hoes to make their neighbourhoods a little bit better than they were the previous month.

Consequently, the whole nation gets better in line with the old saying, “if everyone cleans in front of their house, you get a clean street.”

All citizens hence typically contribute to making a difference within their respective environments; a practice really worth emulating in every setting.

The practices encompassing of fully applying oneself to every task, working with integrity, dedication and honesty or sacrificing one’s own well-being for the benefit of the nation, connotes worthwhile service that contributes to national development.

Such practice can be adopted in any capacity and in any area including in the public service, the business sector and within communities.

Sometimes the contribution does not mean anything extraordinary, but executing whatever task well.

A typical example is running a business ethically with the intention of improving people’s lives without exploitation.

Relatedly, loathing corruption and fighting every aspect of it, including what many societies often regarded as petty and normal, is key to promoting national development.

Such approaches generally lead to enhanced economic growth for the benefit of a harmonious society.

Responsible citizenship is also epitomised through continually taking initiative in identifying, as well as solving societal problems and shifting from always expecting, ordinarily with a sense of entitlement, someone else to take the responsibility.

Valuing all positive contribution, from fellow citizens, avoiding comparison and realising that we all need each other, promotes a sense of purpose and, ultimately, peace and harmony among all.

It is thus essential for all citizens to acquire the necessary participatory skills and talent that help them to engage in productive activities that contribute to national development.

The related efforts for contributing to national development include taking an interest and becoming informed about public policies, constructively participating in business and development processes, respecting the dignity and worth of self and others, as well as generally obeying the laws of the land.

A wide range of formal and informal activities notably voting, volunteering, plus taking part in group activities that benefit society in general or group members, are associated with the practice.

In the same context, every important action or deed is informed by an attitude that is characterised by a strong overall commitment towards doing the right thing.

In fact, successful development is significantly endorsed when citizens start to believe that they can bring changes to their community, and often start to implement initiatives such as cleaning their surroundings and subsequently add other spheres.

For example, activities for the Rwandan Umganda, that typically encompass cleaning the streets, cutting grass, trimming bushes alongside the roads, planting trees, and repairing public buildings, were extended to include building schools and housing for the less privileged.

Self-development with a view to improving one’s capacity to make positive contributions to society, through the acquisition of basic knowledge plus a change in attitude towards engaging in productive activities, is another element of responsible citizenship.

This strategy can be augmented by efforts to capacitate fellow citizens thus underwriting the availability of aptitude for sustainable and enhanced national development.

Besides, the appreciation of values, differences and the dynamism of diversity as a means to contribute towards overall societal growth also leads to the creation and nurturing of responsible citizens who are able to make sound judgments and take appropriate actions that contribute to sustainable human development of human society as well as the physical environment.

That is, citizens who consistently focus on making a difference in society rather than harbouring a sense of entitlement and merely drawing resources from the environment for personal gain.

For example, always being on the look-out for ways in which one’s knowledge can help to reduce poverty within the local community.

Results oriented goals for such contribution often maximise the impact of the same on the lives of the target population.

There are other numerous and pretty simple strategies such as choosing to be a principal agent of the desired change characteristically embodies a basic principle of RBM and drives enthusiasm.

Additionally, it negates unwarranted criticism, all factors that lead to the successful implementation of initiatives and, ultimately, growth and development.

That is, changing self first then influencing others to follow suit, mostly in response to the positives deriving from that initial change.

The agent, therefore, becomes a moral example to others, through actions, rather than mere lecturing.

Similarly, committing to the effective management of national resources, such as electricity, water and fuel, that almost any citizen can meaningfully adopt.  That is, underscoring optimum usage and avoiding wastage.

Building each other through correction that is communicated in a friendly and constructive manner accompanied by genuine acceptance of the same also helps citizens to collectively enhance the impact of their actions on national development.

For example, picking up litter that has just been thrown on the street and communicating the matter to the perpetrator can make a significant difference to the environment, provided the perpetrator is open to such correction.

This pathway can be strengthened through its early introduction in people’s lives starting from home, within the community, in line with the old African adage, “it takes a village to raise a child”, in school and right up to the workplace.

The essence of the spirit of national consciousness for strengthening national bond, as well as instilling a sense of belonging plus understanding the role, rights and responsibilities of a citizen in both a society and the global community, cannot be overemphasised.

Also, it is often ideal to encourage the application of such knowledge, skills, and values to solve real problems early in life, from the home, school, community and the nation at large.

Moreover, it takes sound motivation and leadership, the capacity influence positively, often without any position of authority, to effectively contribute to national development.

Dr Rudo Grace Gwata-Charamba is an author, development project/programme management consultant and researcher with a special interest in Results Based Management (RBM), Governance and Leadership. She can be contacted via email: [email protected]

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