Story by Patience Nyagato
THE implementation of the devolution programme has been cited as key to enhancing the livelihoods of rural communities, with traditional leaders at the centre of rural development.
The importance of towns, cities and villages across the country to drive their prosperous future through devolution took centre stage in Harare this Wednesday at an event which saw 34 chiefs from Mashonaland East province being capacitated with leadership, governance and disaster management, among other skills.
“Traditional leaders are the vanguard of devolution, thus this launch is one of UZ community engagement initiatives that seeks to explore traditional leaders’ knowledge and practices regarding devolution. This enables them to execute their role effectively,” the University of Zimbabwe’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo said.
The initiative comes as a welcome development for traditional leaders who are at the centre of rural development in line with Vision 2030.
“The launch of the devolution capacity building workshop we are witnessing today marks a critical step in stretching our role as traditional leaders in governance by ensuring that as custodians of our communities, we are well equipped to effectively participate in Zimbabwe’s devolution agenda. It is a transformative process that shifts power and resources from the central government to local authorities to make sure decision-making is made locally,” Mashonaland East Chiefs Assembly Chairperson, Dr Langton Chikukwa
“Our people now have a voice in matters that directly affect them, ensuring that every citizen and community in our nine districts from Mudzi Chikomba has the opportunity for democratic participation in governance. However, we must focus on the equitable allocation of local resources in power and our communities to actively determine their development priorities. Therefore, we greatly welcome today’s capacitation view as a crucial step in continuing and enhancing these ideals,” Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Mashonaland East Province, Honourable Itayi Ndudzo said.
Local Government and Public Works Minister Honourable Daniel Garwe emphasised that implementation of the devolution programme will enhance lives in rural communities.
“Decolonisation promotes effective governance by bringing decision-making closer to the people and fostering a sense of ownership and more efficient delivery of public services. Successful implementation of devolution requires careful planning, robust institutional frameworks and strong leadership. Chiefs are custodians of our culture and they present an opportunity for get the grassroots of our great nation. Traditional leadership structures will help achieve meaningful development,” Minister Garwe said.
The capacity-building initiative will be extended to the remaining seven rural provinces in the country.
