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Herald Reporter

AGAINST a background of global shocks, the Covid-19 pandemic, and climate change Zimbabwe has to scale up its internal capacities to build back better and advance its interests towards becoming an upper-middle-class economy by 2030.

Officially, opening the inaugural Public Procurement Conference and Awards Ceremony, which was hosted by Buy Zimbabwe early this morning, the President said public procurement is a vital cog to transformational development.

“In the wake of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and other global shocks we must strengthen our national resolve to ‘build back better’. It is equally critical that we scale up our country’s internal capacities, across all sectors. To this end, public procurement must be viewed more holistically, not only as a public administration tool, to purchase the needed goods and services, but also as a vehicle to lift many of our people from poverty into prosperity,” the President said.

The inaugural awards are running under the theme ‘Unlocking Zimbabwe’s Economic Potential Through Public Procurement’.

The President said the conference, where several companies, including Zimpapers the country’s biggest diversified media group were honoured, is timely as it dovetails with his Government policy of realising sustainable development and inclusive economic growth for the people.

“As we build our motherland, Zimbabwe, guided by our development philosophy “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo”, inclusive public procurement is critical in the delivery of quality services and the overall performance of Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
“This Conference is thus timely and resonates with the Second Republic’s unwavering thrust to realise sustainable development and inclusive economic 3 growth for our people, which leaves no one and no place behind.

“At an international level, under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; the promotion of sustainable public procurement will help our country realise these Goals, specifically SDG 12.7 and SDG 16.6 which target public procurement”.