Story by Josephine Mugiyo
President Emmerson Mnangagwa says it is pleasing to note that there are a number of key national projects being undertaken by the Second Republic that are edging the country closer to attaining Vision 2030.
He said this as he addressed delegates who attended the second edition of the ED Mnangagwa business summit, a brain child of the Second Republic, this Friday.
As President Mnangagwa met with businesses mostly drawn from the private sector this Friday in Harare, he said projects which include the Dinson Iron and Steel plant under construction in Manhize, as well as the discovery of gas and oil in Muzarabani are not only ensuring job creation, but will also move the county closer to achieving an upper middle income economy by 2030.
“It is pleasing that there are numerous signature projects which are leaping forward our quest to become an upper middle-income economy society by 2030. The Dinson steel plant under construction in Manhize, which I will be commissioning later this month, will have positive and multi-pronged impacts on our economy. The discovery of gas and oil in Muzarabani will undoubtedly move us from a net importer of petro-chemicals, create new jobs and embed new skills for our young people… Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector has witnessed an increase in capacity utilisation, riding on the responsive policies of government and the prevailing conducive operating environment,” noted the President.
The El Niño has affected the country’s summer cropping season, with yields expected to be poor.
President Mnangagwa called on the private sector to work with government in absorbing such shocks.
He said, “Climate change is real and our country is experiencing its negative impact with an expected slowing down of economic growth in 2024 as a result of the El Niño induced drought. I challenge the private sector to develop adaptive mechanisms that augment my Administration’s policy measures aimed at insulating the economy against the attendant shocks. I further call upon the private sector to join government to cushion the vulnerable members of society so that no one suffers from hunger during this Lean drought season.”
The head of state reiterated that the ongoing economic transformation journey requires all hands on deck, both in the public and private sectors.