Bulawayo, (New Ziana) – The Ministry of Skills Audit and Development in partnership with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and the Zimbabwe Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) will conduct a comprehensive Agricultural Skills Audit across all provinces of the country.
This initiative aims to enhance the capacity and competitiveness of the agricultural sector by identifying existing skills, gaps and aligning training and development programs with national development strategies.
The main national audit is scheduled to be conducted over a two-month period, commencing in early October and running through until the end of November. In an interview, Justin Mahlahla, deputy director, Communications and Advocacy in the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development, said the skills audit will provide valuable data to guide policy formulation, resource allocation, and strategic interventions within the sector.
He was speaking at a preparatory workshop for the exercise here. “The sensation workshops will provide detailed information about the skills audit process. They will also help clarify the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders as well as demonstrate how to participate in the data collection process.
They will also address questions and concerns from participants,” he said. Mahlahla also said the audit was a critical initiative to enhance data integrity, inform future policy and drive sustainable growth within the nation’s vital agricultural industry. “To ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the national rollout, a pilot audit will be conducted first in Mashonaland Central province.
“The pilot phase is set to begin at the end of September. It will serve as a crucial exercise to test methodologies, refine data collection tools and train audit teams in a real-world environment before scaling up to a national level. “This phased approach, starting with a pilot programme, underscores our commitment to conducting a thorough, accurate and impactful audit,” Mahlahla said.
New Ziana
