The Sunday Mail
Leroy Dzenga
Senior Reporter
THE year 2021 saw the Government translating most of its blueprints into tangible programmes and projects. This was the manifestation of an administration that assiduously followed through its own policies.
At the end of 2020, Zimbabwe shelved the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP), whose implementation had begun in October 2018 to bring a semblance of order in the economy. When that was achieved, the next step was the first phase of the National Development Strategy 1.
The policy is premised on ensuring that the country uses local resources to pursue development, while leaving the door open for foreign investment. A number of major projects —bankrolled by local resources — were implemented. Below are some of the most significant achievements.
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Bumper harvest
The year 2021 provided the much-needed reprieve for the country, especially after previous drought-ridden seasons. Good rains combined with well-executed plans from the Government to give the best maize yield the country has seen in 20 years. Maize production increased by 199 percent from 907 628 tonnes produced in the 2019/2020 season to an impressive 2,7 million tonnes last year.
Wheat had long become a headache for Zimbabwe, as it continued to make it to the import list. However, during the 2021 winter cropping season, 66 435 hectares were put under wheat, registering the third highest hectarage since 2000, only surpassed by the 70 585ha in 2004 and and 67 261ha in 2005.
Economic growth
In 2021, the local economy performed well to the extent it is projected to grow faster than its peers in the region. According to Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube, the economy is forecast to grow by 7,8 percent.
Even the World Bank said “Zimbabwe’s economy is expected to grow faster than its neighbours”.
For a country that in 2019 bore the brunt of Cyclone Idai and also faced significant headwinds from the coronavirus after 2020, it showed great resilience on the economic front in 2021.
Harare-Beitbridge Highway
In its 2018 election manifesto, ZANU PF promised to rehabilitate local roads, especially the trade route that is part of the key North-South Corridor.
Tired of engaging foreign companies that sometimes negotiated in bad faith, Government trusted five local companies — Bitumen World, Fossil Contracting, Masimba Construction, Exodus and Company, and Tensor Systems — to work on the road.
Although real work started in 2020, significant progress was recorded in 2021. By the end of 2021, 300 kilometres had been opened to traffic, of which 200km were completed last year.
Once complete, the road will ease travel between Zimbabwe and its largest trading partner, South Africa.
The road also serves as a major transit route for countries in the region.
ERRP1 and ERRP2
The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) claims it used more than $8 billion for road rehabilitation across the country in 2021.
This came after the Government declared all roads a State of Disaster in February last year, which facilitated the mobilisation of resources for envisaged roadworks.
Heavy rains in the 2020/2021 rainy season had compounded the parlous state of local roads.
In 2021, the Government reconstructed more than 20 000km of roads countrywide under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP 2). About 10 000 km of road network has been re-gravelled, surpassing the set target of 8 000km, while over 11 000 km have been graded.
Up to 318km tarred roads have been rehabilitated against a target of 627km, while over 8 000km have been resealed and pothole-patched. In May, the Government realised that although progress is being made on highways, urban commuters were bearing the brunt of inept local authorities. Under the watch of councils, especially Harare, roads had become unnavigable and a threat to life as well as property (vehicles).
The Government then decided to adopt major roads in urban areas under the ERRP2. Potholes have been patched on a cumulative 7 156 km of road against a set target of 10 119km and 1 425km have been resealed.
The District Development Fund (DDF) received $1,3 billion, while urban and rural councils got $826 million and $700 million, respectively.
About 1 150 drainage structures have been constructed or repaired across all road authorities, while 204 wash-aways have been reclaimed against set targets of 556 and 167 in that order.ERRP2 is set to run for 36 months, meaning there is still time for all urban roads to be attended.
Medical Oxygen Plant
The emergence of Covid-19 was a wake-up call for Zimbabwe. Most of its medical oxygen was imported and the situation created its own challenges.
But, in August, President Mnangagwa officially opened an oxygen plant in Mutare.
Verify Engineering, a parastatal under the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, had earlier been mandated with establishing and running the facility.
The plant has the capacity to produce 20 tonnes of oxygen gas, 16,5 tonnes of liquid oxygen, and 2,5 tonnes of nitrogen every day.
Its output is enough to cover the country’s medical oxygen needs.
In fact, the plant is capable of producing Zimbabwe’s oxygen needs in only two days, which means much of the output can be exported.
The plant also produces nitrogen, which a key component in the artificial insemination of cattle and other biology-related agro-processes. This means that the country now has another avenue to earn foreign currency.
Dams
President Mnangagwa’s administration has always been clear that rain-fed agriculture is unreliable and there is need for the country to move to irrigation.
Zimbabwe is targeting 350 000 to 400 000 hectares under irrigation by 2023. This bold target is only achievable if there is a commensurate investment in dams, and Government is doing exactly that. In May, President Mnangagwa commissioned Muchekeranwa Dam (formerly known as Causeway Dam), which sits on Macheke River.
About 2 550 hectares of farmland are set to benefit from the project, including Marondera Town and the Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. Construction work at the Gwayi-Shangani is progressing well and it expected to be completed this year.
The project, which is part of the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (NMZWP), was mooted as far back as 1912, but remained an idea until the advent of the Second Republic.
Most of the heavy lifting was done in 2021 when Treasury allocated $4,5 billion to complete the project.
An additional $535 million for the development of detailed designs is set to be availed. The dam will come with immense benefits. For example, water from the dam is projected to irrigate more than 25 000 hectares.
Bulawayo Water Project
Since 2000, Bulawayo has been dogged by acute water shortages.
This was caused by drying water sources and a growing population.
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) drilled 20 boreholes at the Nyamandlovu Aquifer to augment water supplies in the country’s second-biggest city.
Treasury availed $150 million for the work at Epping Forest and Rochester, boreholes which are now pumping water to Bulawayo daily.
During the period, Government also identified potential in augmenting the pumping station in Mtshabezi as well as the uplifting pumps in Inyankuni.
Once done, Bulawayo will be able to receive more than 165 megalitres of water per day, which is more than its daily consumption of 155 megalitres.
Re-engagement wins
Besides infrastructure, President Mnangagwa’s administration was hard at work on the international relations front. In 2021, the country effectively shook off its “pariah” tag.
In November, President Mnangagwa travelled to Glasgow, Scotland, becoming the first Zimbabwean leader in 20 years to visit the United Kingdom.
His attendance at the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference was a break from the past, as Zimbabwe was once again considered part of the global family of nations.
The Second Republic’s philosophy of making Zimbabwe a “friend to all, enemy to none” has been the guiding light in Zimbabwe’s diplomatic relations. While in Glasgow, President Mnangagwa had encounters with United States President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Zimbabwe is likely to build on such cordiality.
Also, the country is presently participating at the ongoing Dubai Expo in the United Arab Emirates where it has maintained a pavilion since the beginning of the long-haul event running from October 2021 to March 2022.
In her recent update, head of delegation in Dubai, Ambassador Mary Mubi, said the platform has attracted a lot of investor interest.
Clearly, 2021 was a year of great achievements on Government’s part.
It would take days to comprehensively capture the work that was done in the past 12 months, with President Mnangagwa leading from the front.
There are expectations that the growth and development trajectory will continue this year, as the country determinedly progresses to become an upper middle-income economy.
