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Manicaland Correspondent
ENERGY and Power Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo has said there is need for culture change in how his ministry conducts its business if the drive to turn Zimbabwe into a middle-income economy by 2030 is to be achieved.

Officiating at a strategic planning review workshop held in Mutare last week, Dr Gumbo said his ministry was faced with the mammoth task of providing sustainable energy for all Zimbabweans in line with the dream for a middle income economy by 2030.

“Currently, more than 55 percent of the population does not have access to electricity or other forms of modern energy and the need is more pronounced in rural areas,” he said. “Clinics and schools are not yet electrified, denying students in those areas the opportunity to use computers and electric-powered digital devices.”

Dr Gumbo emphasised the need for everyone to pull up their socks to make a contribution under the new dispensation.
He called for enhanced performance, saying days of non-performance were long gone.

“The Ministry of Energy and Power Development (MEPD) is a key stakeholder in the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) since energy is a key enabler in the day-to-day running and growth of the economy,” said Dr Gumbo.

He said although there were other potential energy sources in the country like coal (and the prospects of gas and oil), there was need to turn to renewable energy resources to meet the country’s energy and power demand.

Secretary for Energy and Power Development Dr Gloria Magombo said her ministry was reviewing its strategic plan to align it with the TSP.

She said their idea was to come up with long-term strategies for stabilisation of power and fuel supplies while encouraging youths to appreciate the use of renewable energy.

“We looked at the mandate which we were given by Government and we are aligning it to new projects that we are working on to ensure that we are properly structured and have the necessary resources to deliver on our obligations,” said Dr Magombo.

“As we look at our strategic plan and align it to the TSP, we are also working on what we have and how we align it to the prioritisation of the particular projects.”

The workshop was aimed at unlocking the TSP, outline key result areas, come up with ideas, propose new models, deliberate on strategies and come up with a strategic document, which the ministry would adopt to deliver intended results on the roadmap to achieve Vision 2030.