Story by Cellah Marere
KARIBA – The Zimbabwe Institute of Strategic Thinking (ZIST) this Wednesday opened its three-day national conference in Kariba, focusing on enhancing public sector efficiency as a key driver to attain an upper-middle-income status by 2030.
The conference, held under the theme “Unlocking Public Sector Efficiency in the Context of Vision 2030: Strategy as an Accelerator”, brought together stakeholders from the public and private sectors to deliberate on collaborative efforts toward national development.
Delivering her presentation, National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) General Manager, Mrs Ainah Kaguru, underscored the urgent need to enhance public transport systems as a means of stimulating economic growth.
“We are here to discuss strategies to unlock public transport efficiency, particularly by integrating road and rail systems. This will improve economic competitiveness. Modernising infrastructure, forging public-private partnerships, accelerating digitisation, and enabling policy support are key. Local participation, as seen in the construction of the Trabablas Interchange using local materials, is crucial. We also need seamless regional connectivity and smart technology for effective monitoring,” she said.
Educationist Dr Tendesayi Mushamba applauded Government efforts in the education sector, highlighting the introduction of free education and Zimbabwe’s high literacy rate as regional benchmarks of progress.
“Zimbabwe boasts one of the highest literacy rates in the SADC region. The collaboration between the Government and the private sector is a catalyst for progress, and such dialogue platforms are essential in driving Vision 2030,” said Dr Mushamba.
Economic analyst Mr Luxon Zembe pointed out that the public sector contributes nearly 60% of the national economy and that inefficiencies, especially in transport infrastructure, impose a significant cost on the country.
“Public sector efficiency directly affects the cost of doing business. Improved efficiency leads to lower costs, job creation, and greater value addition across the value chain. Vision 2030 is a collective vision, and collaboration across all sectors is critical,” Mr Zembe said.
ZIST Chief Executive Officer, Dr Tinashe Muzamhindo, reiterated that the Think Tank’s role is to support Government initiatives by offering strategic planning, coordination, and implementation tools to accelerate the country’s transformation agenda.
“Vision 2030 is a national vision spearheaded by His Excellency, President Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa. ZIST is mobilising stakeholders across sectors to discuss how public sector efficiency can be enhanced within the framework of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1),” said Dr Muzamhindo.
The government is currently accelerating the implementation of NDS1 under 14 thematic clusters aimed at stimulating economic growth, modernising infrastructure, and improving livelihoods.
