The Sunday Mail
Clemence Machadu Insight
Folks, we are now living in an era whereby we should budget for risk.
Howdy folks!
While we used to think that we should prepare for alien attacks of the Earth or falling meteorites from outer space to destroy our planet Earth, it actually seems that Earth has to be now more prepared to protect itself from itself.
There are numerous man-made and natural disasters taking place, from terrorist attacks, disease outbreaks, floods, wars, you name it, all destroying human lives, infrastructure and other ecosystems.
These disasters no longer manifest physically, but through other forms such as cyber-attacks as well. Imagine the ransomware epidemic that hit global computer networks earlier this month.
The ransomware, named “WannaCry”, locks out users from accessing their files and then asks them to pay a certain amount to retrieve the files. Imagine how much money people can lose through this attack, if it persists without being dealt with.
Folks, it looks like disasters are now more prone to happen and looming around us than ever before. According to World Bank estimates, disasters cost the global economy US$520 billion annually.
In a report titled, “From panic and neglect to investing in Health Security”, the Bank also highlighted Zimbabwe’s estimate level vulnerability to economic losses from pandemics.
According to the report, Zimbabwe’s expected annual pandemic loss is US$297 796 382. Imagine such a huge economic loss every year; or money which could be channelled to productive sectors if our disaster preparedness mechanisms were up to scratch.
Yet financing improved preparedness, according to the report, costs about US$1 per person per year. But if we are to wait for disaster to strike, then we want to react, we end up with this expected annual pandemic loss per capita of US$19.09. But we have to ask ourselves: Which route is better — the proactive one or the reactive one?
The World Bank report noted that the world’s investment in pandemic preparedness and response remains woefully inadequate.
President Mugabe also returned with the same message from the United Nations Global Platform on Disaster Reduction held in Cancun, Mexico recently.
Said President Mugabe: “In respect of floods, we were not prepared but they have awakened us to the need not to have homes on the peripheries or in water ways like what our people were doing.”
He added that corrective measures have to be taken with preventive measures being put in place.
Heavy rains experienced this year saw some parts of the country flooding, with about 2 000 people displaced while 200 lost their lives.
As highlighted by the President, we should have concrete preventive measures going forward in order to at least minimise losses where we can.
Again on roads, President Mugabe said, “We have to take (risk reduction) steps and widen the roads so that we lessen road traffic disasters. We can’t say they will absolutely disappear, but we can reduce them; that is anticipating the risk.”
This is happening at a time when works have commenced for the dualisation of the Harare-Beitbridge highway, in a move that will not only improve trade and transport efficiency, but also reduce accidents on the busy highway.
Folks, when it comes to disasters, prevention is better than cure.
Better in every sense of the word!
Here, we are not just talking about national disasters, but other crises that may take place in communities, companies or homes.
There are always risks that we can anticipate. At corporate level, there are those who may actually know their potential risks, but without systems in place to effectively avert such threats.
Then there are some who may have such systems in place, nonetheless untested to see whether they will work as intended in the event of a crisis attack.
Folks, we are now living in an era whereby we should budget for risk.
Our national budgets should ensure adequate funding is channelled towards the establishment of proactive measures to minimise or avert disasters.
Otherwise we will continue to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in reactive efforts, and reversing our economic gains at a time when we should be consolidating and moving forward.
Hatifaniri kuyeuka bako mvura yanaya.
Later folks!
