Story by Oleen Ndori, Foreign Desk Editor
VICE President General (Rtd) Dr Constantino Chiwenga has challenged government leaders to play an active role in the practical implementation of economic blueprints for enhanced development.
He was speaking at the official opening of a three-day Government Experience Exchange Programme in Harare this Thursday.
In February this year, Harare and Abu Dhabi signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Improvement and Development of Government Services.
The agreement is meant to empower high-level government officials and policymakers with technical knowledge on policy, strategy and innovation, among other aspects.
The implementation of the agreement has begun in earnest, with Harare hosting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a three-day Government Experience Exchange Programme.
Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Martin Rushwaya says the engagement will propel the attainment of Vision 2030.
“Government hopes this platform will play a central role in how we seek to fully implement vision 2030,” said Dr Rushwaya.
Head of the UAE delegation and Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Competitiveness and Experience Exchange, Abdullah Nasser Lootah says the programme will strengthen Zim- UAE relations and the two countries’ development aspirations.
“Our relations are deepening and this is an opportunity to deepen our areas of cooperation in different areas of cooperation,” he said.
Guest of Honour, Vice President General (Rtd) Dr Constantino Chiwenga called on government ministers to take advantage of the exchange programme in their respective portfolios in the spirit of delivering sustainable and inclusive socio-economic transformation under the National Development Strategy One.
He said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the people of Zimbabwe are now expecting the government to start delivering tangible and impactful results, based on the promises made during the campaign and the policy pronouncements made thereafter. Emphasis will primarily be on the promotion of symmetrical and inclusive development, as espoused in our guiding principle of Leaving No One and No Place Behind. At this stage of our development, the approach is therefore about championing the implementation of people-centred policies, programmes and projects for sustainable and inclusive rural socio-economic transformation, driven by devolution and decentralisation, modernisation and industrialisation.
“We will achieve this through fully utilising our resource endowments and applying home-grown solutions, in developing ourselves for ourselves. For the policy imperatives to be successfully implemented, they must find space in our Strategic Plans, Annual Plans and Performance Contracts. These are the instruments that we are utilising as Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to implement various policies, programmes and projects.”
The Vice President implored senior government officials to use the exchange programme to create synergies and investment opportunities for the two countries.
“His Excellency the President also expects that the workshop will create opportunities for high interactions with the UAE delegation that go beyond training but also include discussions on concrete investment opportunities. The United Arab Emirates has businesspeople who are ready to expand their investment horizons beyond that country.
“This forum therefore creates an opportunity to demonstrate to the United Arab Emirates delegation. Our diverse and abundant comparative advantages need investment to be leveraged.
“The President acknowledges the effort that went into arranging meetings for the Dubai Chamber President and Chief Executive Officers with the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency, Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce and ZimTrade respectively. The other meetings will involve the Ministries of Finance, Economic Development; and Foreign Affairs and International Trade,” he said.
Priority areas at the workshop include government services, leadership and capacity building, competitiveness, and statistics as well as government performance and the national agenda.
