EDITORIAL COMMENT: Looking forward with optimism

27 Dec, 2015 - 00:12 0 Views
EDITORIAL COMMENT: Looking forward with optimism

The Sunday Mail

Zimbabwe, the belle who is being courted by several international investors, is keen to open a new page in the journey to socio-economic transformation in 2016.
All indications are pointing to great things ahead for this country in social, economic and political terms.
Major deals in critical sectors such as energy, water, transport and ICTs were entered into between Zimbabwe, China and Russia during the course of 2015.
We also saw the results of smart partnerships with countries such as Brazil and Belarus starting pay dividends for the local agriculture sector.
It with these deals and others in mind that Zimbabwe has got every reason to eagerly await the coming year, to look forward to it with renewed optimism and with a sense of purpose.
The year 2015 and all the years before this have been laying a foundation for the great things that are beckoning.
Economic growth is a process, and its culmination in 2016 is only a testament of the country’s continuous hard work.
The aspirations of the 10-Point Economic Plan, which complements the country’s economic plan —the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation — has given impetus to the development path we are on.
And there was also the endorsement of Zimbabwe’s debt clearance strategy by international creditors in Lima, Peru.
With Zimbabwe showing its commitment to service its US$10 billion debt owed to institutions such as the World Bank, IMF and African Development Bank, among others, more doors will certainly open in 2016 as the country seeks long-term investment capital at affordable interest rates.
All this has is evidence of the hard work that Government, throughout the course of 2015, put into tirelessly refining its systems to bridge the gap between policy formulation and implementation; a gap long contextualised by the oft-heard statement to the effect “Zimbabwe has good plans on paper but is poor at producing deliverables”.
That is all changing, as seen in various interventions such as results-based management, the Zimbabwe Code on Corporate Governance and other measures all designed to promote accountability and drive public sector office-holders to fulfil their mandates.
We should see less of the “shefu” syndrome in public offices and more of service delivery. This can bring about immense changes in how elected officials conduct themselves, especially seeing as it is taxpayers money they survive on.
Another major plus for the country over the past year has been the related continuous drive to improve the ease of doing business in Zimbabwe so as to make the environment more investor friendly.
It is this cocktail of measures that has seen investors starting to not only take notice of what we have to offer, but to actually bring tangible plans and money to the table.
Having realised that Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — the Brics — are making good business deals with Zimbabwe, Britain and the United States followed suit mid-2015 with the United Kingdom imploring companies to take up investment opportunities here.
They are all welcome. Our arms are open to all comers.
All that we ask for, and all that we will continue to demand, is that investors come here for win-win partnerships premised on mutual respect.
We may be a small country, but in the comity of nations we are all equal. Inasmuch as other countries want their laws respected, Zimbabwe asks for no less from suitors.
That said, it is hoped that or private sector will become more visible in the development agenda in 2016.
This business of waiting for Government to do everything is no business at all.
Everyone has a role to play in bringing about the socio-economic transformation we all desire. As the ruling party is wont to say, “Iwe neni tine basa.”

CARTOON

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