HARARE – Cabinet has approved National Development Strategy 1 for 2021-2025, the economic blueprint for the first half of the Second Republic’s drive to realise Vision 2030.
President Mnangagwa is expected to launch the document, which will run under the theme “Towards a Prosperous and Empowered Upper Middle Income Society by 2030”, next week.
Speaking after the Cabinet meeting last night, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said:
“The National Development Strategy 1 outlines the policies, legal and institutional reforms, programmes and projects for identified national priorities that will be implemented over the strategy’s five-year lifespan. This will help to achieve accelerated, high, inclusive, broad-based and sustainable economic growth and development.”
“The National Development Strategy (NDS) was a result of an extensive and structured consultative process involving stakeholders.
“The strategy succeeds the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP): 2018-2020, which focused on, inter-alia, stabilising the macro-economy and the financial sector, and thus laid the foundation required for economic growth.
“The report on the TSP will be published at the end of the programme period.”
NDS 1 would, she said, builds on the successes and challenges of the TSP to steer the economy into an average growth rate of 5 percent a year.
The broad objectives of NDS1 include strengthening macroeconomic stability, low and stable inflation, a stable exchange rate, inclusive and equitable real growth in the gross domestic product, promoting new enterprise development, employment and job creation and industrialising and modernising the economy
The economic strategies were to be matched by strengthening social infrastructure and social safety nets, ensuring sustainable environmental protection and resilience, while promoting good governance and corporate social investment.
Minister Mutsvangwa said the NDS had 14 priority areas: economic growth and stability; food security and nutrition; governance; moving the economy up the value chain and structural transformation; human capital development; environmental protection, climate resilience and natural resource management; housing delivery; ICT and the digital economy; health and well-being; transport, infrastructure and utilities; image-building and international engagement and re-engagement; social protection; youth, sport and culture; and devolution.
Finance and Economic Development Professor Mthuli Ncube said the NDS was results-oriented.
“What is unique about NDS is that it is results oriented. There will be a monitoring unit in the President’s office.
“We have targets that should be met. His Excellency will launch the NDS.
“The idea is to launch the NDS before the budget because the NDS is the pillar of the budget,” said Prof Ncube.
Commenting on whether Zimbabwe will change tactics in its engagement efforts with the United States election where Democratic candidate Mr Joe Biden won the election, Prof Ncube said the Government were determined to make friends with every country.
“We have a sanctions regime on our country. We have an arrears albatross. We have desire to make as many friends as possible,” said Prof Ncube.
Turning to Zimbabweans returning home from South Africa, Minister Mutsvangwa said the embassy of Zimbabwe in South Africa had drawn up standard operating procedures.
She said all bus operators involved in the repatriation of Zimbabwean nationals from South Africa are required to obtain clearance from the Zimbabwean consulates in Cape Town and Johannesburg two days before departure with all requisite details of travellers among other issues.
“Bus operators must ensure that passengers have requisite travel documents before purchasing tickets.
“A maximum of five buses will be cleared per day,” said Minister Mutsvangwa. – Herald
