The Sunday Mail
Lincoln Towindo and Tinashe Farawo
Six months to the end of the first phase of the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation, Government has met well over half its targets under the blueprint’s quick-win objectives.
Thirty-eight targets were to be implemented by ministries and State agencies between October 2013 and December 2015, with the second phase running through to 2018.
An analysis by The Sunday Mail shows that not less than 20 quick-wins have been scored or are at various stages of implementation.
Some of the deliverables did not require funding while others were spurred by internal resource mobilisation and external interventions by friendly nations such as China, Russia and Brazil.
The Food Security and Nutrition Cluster achieved its brief of “working out vulnerable groups and smallholder subsidised agriculture input schemes for the 2013/14 cropping season, including the Presidential Input Scheme”.
Over 1,6 million small-holder farmers benefitted from the US$180 million Presidential Well-Wishers Inputs Support Scheme, leading to improved household food security and a grain harvest of 1,7 million tonnes that season.
Further, Zimbabwe took delivery of irrigation and related equipment worth US$38 million from Brazil in line with the Zim-Asset target of “Initiating a programme of rehabilitation of irrigation equipment and adopting low-cost mechanisation programmes”.
The equipment, secured under the South American country’s Food for Africa Programme, will benefit smallholder farmers, who have historically been the country’s food security spine.
Distribution of the equipment has begun, with Brazilian technicians providing expertise on its optimum use.
Targets like importing drought relief grain for hunger-prone regions have also been met following the purchase of maize from Zambia — the only Sadc country to produce a maize surplus last season.
About 16 000 metric tonnes were brought in last month and routed straight to Zimbabwe’s drought-hit southern region.
Further deliveries are expected in addition to the National Grain Reserve being earmarked for distribution to needy districts.
However, other targets such as setting up an AgriBank concessionary funding facility for A2 farmers and a livestock drought mitigation programme are still to be initiated.
The Social Services and Poverty Eradication Cluster has achieved no less than five of its targets, which include procuring “essential hospital equipment” and “basic infrastructural services for referral, provincial and district hospitals” come December 2015.
In March 2015, President Mugabe commissioned US$100 million worth of state-of-the art medical equipment, which was purchased using a loan from China.
This equipment includes ultrasound machines, chemistry analysers, breath resuscitation bags, foetal heartbeat detectors, incubators, emergency trolleys, obstetrics beds, ambulances and mobile clinics.
These are already being distributed countrywide and will help improve health service delivery.
In addition, Government has gone some way in scrapping hospital user fees for selected vulnerable groups as prescribed by Zim-Asset.
To scale up health personnel levels, Government temporarily lifted a moratorium on hiring medical staff at State health institutions in 2014.
This created 2 400 nursing jobs.
Government has also undertaken to pay the US$1,5 million it owes National Blood Services Zimbabwe.
Thirteen quick-wins were set for the Infrastructure and Utilities Cluster and six are already at various implementation stages.
Among them was a “blitz to rehabilitate water supplies, sewerage systems, roads and health facilities”.
Harare has over the past year seen massive improvements in water supply as rehabilitation work at the capital city’s main treatment plant – Morton Jaffray – continues.
Suburbs that had not received running water in over 10 years are now getting supplies.
The project is being funded through a US$144 million loan from the Export Import Bank of China.
In addition, Government has intensified construction and maintenance of trunk and feeder roads, with the Mutare-Plumtree Highway and Harare’s Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo/Airport Road being major examples.
It is also working with a private bank to construct 2 000 schools, and Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora was in China in 2014 to source funds to build facilities in resettlement and urban areas.
On the energy front, President Mugabe commissioned construction of the US$533 million Kariba South Power Extension Project.
The plant is projected to generate an additional 300MW by 2017, increasing Kariba Hydro-Power Station’s capacity from 750MW to 1 050MW.
The project will employ at least 700 people over four years.
Another quick-win is intensifying elevator rehabilitation at all Government buildings and this is in progress.
Government targets to provide at least 310 000 housing units, and has already serviced 286 000 residential stands countrywide.
At least 27 000 houses have been constructed.
Efficiency has returned to the Registrar-General’s Department in keeping with the goal to institute “measures to improve processes at the Registrar-General’s Office by December 2013 and schools in all urban centres”.
In early 2015, Parliament heard that the department now produces 3 000 passports per day, up from 1 936 before Zim-Asset. And it now takes less than two weeks to process essential travel documents.
The Value Addition and Beneficiation Cluster has achieved “the full operationalisation of the Chisumbanje Ethanol Project” and intensified bio-fuel use by making ethanol-blended fuel mandatory.
Government has also gone some way in supporting the establishment of local diamond cutting and polishing centres.
In 2014, the Mines and Mining Development Ministry introduced a policy that will see 10 percent of the country’s annual diamond production being set aside for local industry.
This is expected to help grow domestic value-addition and beneficiation services, and has already triggered growth in the diamond cutting and polishing industry.
Goal number four requires Zimbabwe to support agro-processing project establishment.
The SMEs and Co-operative Development Ministry was tasked to develop SMEs and ensure Zimbabwe produces at least 500 000 litres of honey yearly.
SMEs Minister Sithembiso Nyoni told The Sunday Mail: “Already, we are producing 300 000 litres of honey against a target of 500 000 by 2018, meaning we have attained two-thirds of the target.
“Our leather production has also improved significantly over the last year and half owing to the support programmes that we have initiated through Zim-Asset.
“Also, a lot of business has been generated in the agro-processing industry whereby we are exporting a lot of dried fruit to countries as far afield as Japan.”
Economic analyst Mr Tonderai Kaboko said, “Despite the lingering negative perception by some elements about Zim-Asset’s implementation, evidence on the ground clearly shows that a lot is being done.
“While we may not be where we want to be in terms of achieving all our goals, there certainly is progress taking place. There is nothing that can stop the country from attaining all the goals come 2018.”
The Zanu-PF Government introduced Zim-Asset soon after sealing its thunderous victory in the July 2013 harmonised elections to steer economic transformation.
The blueprint apportioned Government ministries responsibilities under four clusters with specific targets running under two phases: October 2013-December 2015 and 2016 to December 2018.
One of the major objectives is creating two million jobs and reviving ailing industries, including giant iron producer New Zim Steel.
Though, inadequate funding has invariably impeded progress, collaborative arrangements with friendly are being structured to steer Zim-Asset.
In addition, the United Nations has committed US$1,6 billion to the programme, with the funding scheduled to begin in 2016.
Mega economic co-operation deals that Zimbabwe signed with China and Russia are also expected to feed into Zim-Asset’s objectives.
