The Sunday News
The National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) is the first Five-Year Medium Term Plan aimed at realising Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 while simultaneously and asymmetrically addressing the continental and global aspirations as articulated in Africa Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The economic blueprint policy document goes on to highlight that despite the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and the incessant droughts, which have regressed the country’s socio-economic achievements during the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP), Zimbabwe remains optimistic and vibrant that the NDS1 will catapult the economy to recovery and growth.
“Through the multi-stakeholder participation that characterised the formulation of NDS1, 14 National Priorities, which encapsulate the needs of the nation as we move towards Vision 2030, were identified. The blue print also clearly spells out the National and Sectoral Results frameworks which are then distilled to Ministries/Departments/Agencies in the form of interventions and projects for implementation,” said President Mnangagwa in the foreword of the policy document.
The third phase in the journey of economic rejuvenation will witness the implementation of NDS2 from 2026-2030.
“The totality of implementation of the three development plans should enable Zimbabwe to be a “Prosperous and Empowered Upper Middle Income Society by 2030”. This Strategy is a culmination and by product of an extensive consultative process involving stakeholders at all levels so as to build consensus and ownership of the blue print. In formulating NDS1, local and international contexts were also mainstreamed into the blueprint to make it more flexible to adopt to systemic changes such as the one brought by Covid-19 pandemic.
For instance, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected international trade by breaking the global value chains. The NDS1 has therefore strategies of import substitution through growing local value chains based on Zimbabwe’s own comparative advantages,” said Finance and Economic Development Minister Prof Mthuli Ncube in his remarks carried in the document.
The NDS1 outlines the policies, legal and institutional reforms and the programmes and projects that will be implemented over the five-year period, 2021 –2025 to achieve accelerated, high, inclusive, broad based and sustainable economic growth as well as socio-economic transformation and development. In addition, it will focus on mainstreaming gender, youth, women, and on the economic stability already achieved.
Launching the economic blueprint at State House in Harare last week, the President said Government will continue implementing robust, innovative and responsive strategies with the NDS1 seeking to continue with the entrenchment of democracy, constitutionalism and rule of law. Cabinet would closely monitor actual results and take remedial action when anything slipped, but the President noted that success would need maximum effort by everybody in a united drive to develop “the Zimbabwe we want and need”.
“The attainment of Vision 2030 is partly premised on the devolution and decentralisation agenda, which empowers provinces, districts and communities to implement development strategies which are informed by their respective resource endowments and competitive advantages. This must see greater innovation, modernisation, industrialisation and increased investments across all provinces and districts of our country,” said President Mnangagwa.
He said undeserving and illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by some Western countries would continue to militate against economic growth and development but could not stop Zimbabwe moving forward.
President Mnangagwa said the modernisation of the manufacturing sector would be speeded up through deliberate, practical innovations and inventions so that goods could competitively penetrate global value chains and markets. The NDS1 framework will ensure sustainable growth of the mining sector towards the US$12 billion mining sector economy. Some of the areas the NDS1 focuses on are infrastructure, digital economy and housing delivery to avail affordable and quality settlements in urban and rural areas.
President Mnangagwa called for every Zimbabweans to “roll up their sleeves” and prepare to work for the successful implementation of NDS1.
“In line with our culture of dialogue, the implementation of the NDS1 will entail continued dialogue and engagement to maintain the consistency and pragmatism that saw us achieve the successes of the TSP,” said President Mnangagwa.
The blueprint will run under the theme “Towards a Prosperous and Empowered Upper Middle Income Society by 2030”.
