HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa has commended the Government for making significant progress in 2024 despite the numerous challenges the nation has faced.
Speaking at the opening of the last Cabinet meeting of the year at State House, the President described the 2024 Cabinet Calendar as a success, highlighting the robust and frank deliberations that characterized the year.
However, President Mnangagwa expressed dissatisfaction with the practice of assigning junior officials to cover for absentee Ministers at crucial Government meetings. He declared that, moving forward, only Directors and above should attend Working Party Meetings to ensure better representation and decision-making.
The President also announced that Deputy Ministers will now be required to sign Performance Contracts, with the expectation that they receive thorough briefs on Government business to enhance their effectiveness in their roles.
In his address, President Mnangagwa praised the Cabinet for successfully hosting the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summits, noting that these events demonstrated a strong unity of purpose within the Government. He also reiterated that the Government would continue providing food aid to vulnerable citizens under the Food Deficit Mitigation Programme, with a focus on ensuring that food distribution is carried out efficiently without passing on additional costs to beneficiaries.
The President further emphasized that the economic measures instituted by Cabinet are already yielding positive results, contributing to improved economic growth and stability. On energy, he commended investments in green energy initiatives, which he described as essential alternatives to traditional energy sources that have failed to meet demand.
Additionally, President Mnangagwa acknowledged the increased pace of housing delivery this year, which has provided citizens with better living conditions. He encouraged continued investment in the housing sector to ensure ongoing progress.
Regarding the digitalization of Government services, the President noted that while progress has been made, the pace of implementation needs to be accelerated in order to drive national development more effectively.
On the information front, President Mnangagwa highlighted the need for improvements in Government communication strategies and information dissemination to ensure clearer and more effective messaging.
The meeting held today marks the final Cabinet meeting of the year.
