Story by Davison Vandira
THE second republic’s economic blueprint, National Development Strategy One (NDS1) has become a success story with all the 14 pillars earmarked for transformation to support the country’s economic development agenda being fulfilled.
The country has since independence employed several economic blueprints with limited success.
The script has, however, changed with the introduction of NDS1 which is positively ticking all the important boxes thus far.
NDS1 was premised on infrastructure development, a key economic enabler of the country’s productive sectors.
Thus, the construction and rehabilitation of dams and roads are improving production efficiencies and awakening industries, with the country’s anchor sector agriculture already reaping immense success stories on all the staples and cash crops.
Zimbabwe is targeting an upper-middle-income society by 2030 which is premised on high economic productivity enabled by sufficient energy provision, with the expansion and refurbishment of Hwange Thermal Power Station Unit 7 and 8, as well as Kariba Power Station, having resulted in the country generating 1 800 megawatts, only 200 megawatts short of the 2 000 national demand.
Significantly, strides have also been realised in environmental protection, climate resistance and natural resource management where the mining sector has been the torch bearer of promoting greenfield projects using climate-proofing techniques to guarantee national food security.
On image building, the engagement and re-engagement drive has seen relations thawing with former hostile countries and trade increasing, while Zimbabwe has successfully created a dialogue with its creditors in the quest to extinguish its external debt.
The government has also managed to successfully roll out the devolution programme which has seen each of the country’s 10 provinces now having its own Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and leveraging on its resources to improve livelihoods.
Governance, social protection, human capital development, house delivery and digitalisation of the economy have all progressed towards the envisaged targets well ahead of the NDS1 2025 deadline.
