President Mnangagwa pledges more emphasis on devolution

Harare,(New Ziana) –The government will increase resources towards devolution and decentralization with emphasis on
improving access and quality of education, health, roads, water and
sanitation, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.

Devolution has assisted in transforming most of Zimbabwe’s rural areas
and some urban centres through the construction of roads, clinics,
schools and access to clean portable water using funds that have been
disbursed to local authorities since 2020.

In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) as he opened the First Session
of the Tenth Parliament at its new Mt Hampden building on the outskirts
of the capital on Tuesday, President Mnangagwa said his administration
was also committed to industrialising and modernising the economy.

“Power supply has significantly improved following the commissioning of
Hwange Power Station Units 7 and 8, while arrangements have been made to
guarantee stable supply from existing power stations,” he said.

“Deliberate investments are ongoing for increased power generation
capacity, including removing entry barriers for Independent Power
Producers. To enhance connectivity, we continue to upgrade the road
network across the country through domestic resources. Similar
initiatives are being implemented with regards to rail infrastructure,
with focus on recapitalisation, rehabilitation and refurbishment.”

He said fiscal consolidation measures and reforms have ensured positive
outcomes that are critical for budget sustainability and lasting
macro-economic stability.

“Going forward, the Second Republic remains resolute in implementing
measures that ensure confidence in our domestic currency,” he said.

President Mnangagwa challenged the Tenth Parliament to accelerate the
completion of business outstanding from the legislative agenda of the
previous one, describing the recently held hafrmonised elections which
gave birth to it as having been free, fair, peaceful and credible in
accordance with democratic traditions and practices.

He said despite the sanctions some Western countries imposed, the
Zimbabwean economy has been on upward trajectory, recording positive
growth rates across sectors.

Robust measures which the government put in place to enhance and
guarantee agricultural productivity, including irrigation development
and climate-proofing, saw the country achieve national food security, he
said.

To consolidate this achievement, he said the Second Republic had begun
drilling 35 000 boreholes and establishing Village Agro-Business Units.

President Mnangagwa said the development of the economy was amply
demonstrated by the growth of the mining sector from US$2.8 billion in
2017 to the present US$12 billion, assisting to propel socio-economic
development and growth.

New Ziana