Story by Tamuka Charakupa
THE Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) has begun formulating its five-year strategic plan to align government operations with the newly launched National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), setting the stage for a more agile and digitally driven public service.
Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Martin Rushwaya, said the next phase of government reform must prioritise innovation, modernisation and collaboration, stressing that the OPC should steer public institutions with speed, clarity and strategic coherence.
“Let our strategic plan embrace the spirit of joint programming and the creation of strategic partnerships. We cannot discharge our mandate alone, we need other MDAs, citizens, the private sector, development partner community and civil society. This can be a basis for implementing Sector-Based Strategic Plans and Joint Performance Contracts. As we commence the implementation of NDS 2, these are the strategic issues that we need to operationalise. As we venture forward, we must remain resolute and committed to principles of agility, innovation, and modernisation.
“Agility allows us to be proactive, adapt and respond effectively to the shifting landscape of challenges and opportunities we encounter. Innovation must permeate our thinking, inspired by the knowledge that the solutions to our challenges may lie in new ideas, technologies, and new paradigms. Modernisation entails the transformation of our infrastructure, processes, and public service delivery to meet the needs and expectations of a 21st-century citizenry in this digital age,” he said.
Dr Rushwaya also highlighted the government’s focus on developing a comprehensive devolution and decentralisation execution framework, noting it is key to strengthening provincial economies.
Public Service Commission Deputy Chairperson, Dr Nomathemba Ndiweni Masuku, said gaps in the public service must be fixed. She stressed the need for new roles in ICT, cybersecurity and data analytics.
“Repositioning the Public Service requires deliberate action, recruitment and deployment must be competency-based, our systems must measure impact, not activities; and digitalisation is now a prerequisite for excellence. A performance system that does not measure impact cannot support national development. The Public Service must be adaptive, future-ready and citizen-centred,” she said.
Mashonaland West Minister, Honourable Marian Chombo, said the devolution policy is helping grow provincial economies.
“We are striving to grow our provincial economy. Mashonaland West is richly endowed with minerals and tourism assets which, under devolution, must be fully exploited to benefit our citizens,” she said.
Government launched the NDS2 blueprint on Thursday, positioning it as the engine to accelerate progress towards Vision 2030. Under this framework, the OPC is mandated to coordinate implementation across all sectors.
