Story by Tino Zirongwe
GOVERNMENT is moving to measure Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and other key economic indicators at provincial level as part of efforts to strengthen evidence-based planning, policy formulation and resource allocation under the devolution and decentralisation agenda.
The initiative, being implemented through a Whole-of-Government Approach, seeks to improve economic monitoring systems and assess the impact of development programmes across the country.
The Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), through the Devolution and Decentralisation Programme, has partnered with the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) to train provincial stakeholders ahead of a nationwide economic data collection exercise.
The programme will focus on indicators such as GDP, employment, poverty levels, productivity and investment trends.
ZIMSTAT Director-General Mr Tafadzwa Bandama said the success of the initiative depends on the availability of reliable administrative data.
“As OPC and our devolution authorities, you are responsible for producing administrative data which will be supplied to ZIMSTAT to turn it into statistics which will be used for policy implementation, monitoring and evaluation,” he said.
Director of Statistical Services Mrs Fadzayi Ndlovu stressed the importance of adhering to established data collection standards.
“We have protocols and rules that govern data collection. We are supposed to ensure that we have standardised data collection formats and methods. We are supposed to ensure that our data capturing is complete and relevant,” she said.
Permanent Secretary for Presidential Affairs and Devolution in the OPC, Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti, said data-driven planning is central to Zimbabwe’s development agenda and the effective implementation of devolution.
“Zimbabwe’s development agenda is now increasingly more than ever driven by data, evidence and measurable outcomes. The implementation of the devolution and decentralisation agenda requires stronger provincial economic planning, monitoring and systems to be put in place,” he said.
Government expects the initiative to strengthen provincial planning, improve economic monitoring and support the achievement of National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) targets and Vision 2030.
