Growing the provincial economy of Mat-North in a devolved state

17 Mar, 2019 - 00:03 0 Views
Growing the provincial economy of Mat-North in a devolved state President Mnangagwa

The Sunday News

This paper was presented by Cde Dr Obert Moses Mpofu, the Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration, at a Public Lecture at Lupane State University on Friday. The paper was titled  “Growing the Provincial Economy of Matabeleland-North in a Devolved State”.

Salutations

From the outset, allow me to express my profound gratitude to the conveners of this crucial platform for inviting me to discuss a subject of national importance. I have been asked to make a presentation on “Growing the provincial economy of Matabeleland North in a Devolved State”. 

As I was preparing notes for this conversation a lot of questions came to mind.  I asked myself if I was invited because I am a child of Mat North; and I wondered if this wasn’t some sort of nepotism (Humour Interject). 

To my relief, I was briefed that the forum is a high-powered one — with  high-profile Government Officials, academics and public administration technocrats and of course the entire university community. 

Therefore, with all protocol observed, it is a great honour and privilege for me to seek the indulgence of this esteemed congregation in unpacking devolution and contextualising it within my home economy of Matabeleland North.  

 Introduction

Devolution is a relevant subject which aptly fits into the current public administrative and nation-building commitments of the Second-Republic.  However, at a broader scale devolution can be situated as the need to re-organise the national economy through provincial processes. 

Background of the Devolution Debate

Remnants of colonially fashioned local government systems coupled with strong tendencies towards centralisation by the post-colonial state in Africa narrowed Local Government as a peripheral extension of Central Government. In response to this crisis in the distribution of power, Edigheji (2004: 92) argues that: 

“The post-colonial African political elites conceived the state as the prime mover of development and this placed the state as the main provider of goods and services required by the people in all spheres of development.”

This monopolisation of power made national development to be abstract to the majority of citizens. As a result, poverty deepened, the omnipresent role of the state was not only questioned but there were calls to reform it structurally as well. 

In the Zimbabwean context, the debate on Local Government has been on whether to centralise or decentralise it (Makumbe 1996, Olowu, 2002, 2009). Even where decentralisation was opted for, there were further questions on whether to choose de-concentration or devolution. 

Devolution was an integral subject in Amendment No.20 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which provided for decentralisation of power to provincial and metropolitan councils and local authorities. However, the debate shifted to modalities of implementing devolution as enunciated in Chapter 14 of the Constitution. 

The unhurried stride and disconnected implementation of the constitution in general, created doubts on the political will to implement devolution. Hence, four (4) years down the line in the wake of the New Dispensation, it was crucial for devolution to assume an important stake in the critical facets of Zimbabwe’s much waited and celebrated transition under His Excellency President Cde ED Mnangagwa. 

Dilemma of centralisation

The marginalisation of the indigenous communities from their immediate natural endowments has continued unabated for a long period. Patrick Bond, a political-economy professor summarises this dilemma as follows:

“Africa is poor, ultimately, because its economy and society have been ravaged by international capital as well as by local elites who are often propped up by foreign powers. The public and private sectors have worked together to drain the continent of resources which — if harnessed and shared fairly — should otherwise meet the needs of the peoples of Africa.” 

Therefore changes in “governance” . . . are desperately needed for social progress, hence His Excellency, the President Cde  ED Mnangagwa in his vision for 2030 has ensued that all provinces should harness their natural resources and use their competitive advantages to benefit their populace and also contribute to Provincial Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and also to national GDP. 

Therefore, today, as we discuss, “Growing the Provincial economy of Mat North” in a devolved state, we need to be cognisant of the fact that, we are re-establishing a broader Zimbabwean agenda to reclaim our long lost generational wealth as a people. 

 We are coming from a phase of history which has not permitted us to exploit our economic potential. This crisis is contained in the colonial experience. The current phase which faces us, is one where, after repossessing our land we have had sanctions imposed on us, thus resulting in the exclusion of the people of Matabeleland North in participating in their developmental initiatives.  

Under devolution in the Second Republic and New Dispensation we should resolve to thwart this monster of sanctions by turning our natural endowments into productivity. This we can leverage with our new international friends as we have seen His Excellency at the beginning of the year embarking on an economic campaign in countries like Belarus; Kazakhstan and Russia. 

This is why it is important that as we enter into a new era we reflect on the past to establish a strategic path of satisfying the constitutionally enshrined values of devolution. Chapter 14 of our Constitution provides the wisdom of devolution as a vital instrument. I quote for promoting: 

(a) the democratic participation in Government by all citizens and communities of Zimbabwe; and  (b) the equitable allocation of national resources and the participation of local communities in the determination of development priorities within their areas; there must be devolution of power and responsibilities to lower tiers of Government in Zimbabwe”

As we take this turn to “Grow the economy of Matabeleland-North” in a devolved fashion we must condition our psyche and diligently commit to contributing to the province’s sustainable development. 

This follows the rationale that the province has its comparative economic advantages. The province also has problems unique to it which can be clinically solved through immediate solutions and processes and thus raising the prominence of devolution as a panacea to Matabeleland North’s development.  

Devolution in the Second Republic

The preliminary part of the presentation indicated that the devolution question has remained elusive in the continent. The repercussions of this inadequacy has left the development potential of provinces and districts untapped and Mat North is not an exception in this regard. Thanks to the ethos of the New Dispensation, His Excellency, President Emmerson Mnangagwa made devolution a subject-matter of priority in the winning manifesto of  the ruling Party, Zanu-PF. 

Pursuant to the manifesto promise, after being conferred the mandate to lead the Second Republic, President Mnangagwa actioned a fast-track implementation of devolution. To expedite the execution of devolution, an allocation of US$33 million in fiscal transfers has been earmarked and committed to support Matabeleland North Province for 2019. 

The fund allocation to the Province substantiates a practical commitment to ensuring that it becomes empowered to exploit its respective economic comparative advantages to realise its self-sustained development.

 Devolution compliments the core values of the Second Republic as it naturally decapitates the erstwhile structural rigidities which isolated provinces from direct participation in their economic development. Through devolution, the Government is giving autonomy to every Zimbabwean to contribute to provincial GDP generation. 

The role of devolution in state reconstruction has been advanced through aligning the Provincial Councils and Administration Act (Chapter 29:11) with the provisions of the New Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Number 20. 

Any failure to implement the devolution in the Second Republic would have been generously misconstrued as a deliberate measure to promote exclusionary policies. 

Therefore, the devolution agenda in the Second Republic leaves no province behind and no ethnic group behind. Every province must contribute to its economic progress and cascade this function to making Zimbabwe’s economy to grow.  We must also remember that every corner of Zimbabwe must be contributing to the full actualisation of the Transitional Stabilisation Programme and Vision 2030. 

WHY devolution is critical for Mat- North

The Human-Factor approach to development places emphasis on the significance of human resources in contributing to socio-economic progress, Mararike and Chivaure (1996). An accelerated pace to the implementation of devolution would result in employment creation, as a result making the Province to reach the anticipated $935 per capita income.   

Matabeleland North’s abundant resource endowments make the province a conduit of Zimbabwe and Africa’s development. In the area of energy, Lupane and Hwange have an approximate 800 million cubic metres per square kilometre of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) gas (The Zimbabwe Independent).  

Mat North’s methane gas contributes a significant fraction to Sadc’s methane gas which is pegged at 420 billion cubic metres. Geological estimations indicate that Zimbabwe could have one of the largest reserves in the world, alongside Canada, Russia and China. 

This calls for intense investment in this sector, ambitious as it may seem, we need to commit more efforts to exploit methane gas. Our Matabeleland North, gas has a commendable 97% purity which makes it a viable source of energy; not to mention the hydro and solar potential which we must continuously explore to enhance domestic and industrial energy productivity.  

The current process being done to produce fertiliser at Sables Chemicals through a technology which is anchored on electrolysis is a huge consumer of power. 

Therefore, this justifies the migration need to gas technology. In any case, developed countries are already tapping into gas energy for daily productivity needs. 

We also get important gas by-products such as explosives and nitrogen. In fact,

Zimbabwe has enough gas for 200 years, more than 100 years for power and 100 years for fuels. Matabeleland-North as a province holds 200 years of Zimbabwe’s energy needs. 

Needless to belabour the point that, Hwange has the largest coal reserves which have perennially contributed to the generation of our hydro-electricity in Kariba. It is also in Hwange where we enjoy the country’s safari endowments. 

With a dedicated fund towards devolution, the province is bound to invest in the coal exploration research in a bid to modernise and re-tool this critical energy production sector.

On the other hand, Victoria Falls is a million dollar tourist destination in the heart of Matabeleland-North. It is the nerve centre for infrastructural transformation in a desired context to urbanise the entire province.  

With the Mat North’s natural resource wealth, it is saddening to note the projection by Zim-Stat which indicates that 90.6% out of a population of about 750 000 people live in rural areas which are characterised by low income levels and standards of living. In this regard, transforming rural livelihoods to upper middle income levels is a central goal we must pursue in complete fulfilment of the dictates of the Transitional Stabilisation Programme and Vision 2030. 

According to the 2018 National Budget, in 2017 tourism receipts were recorded to be at US$1 billion and are expected to rise to US$3.5 billion in 2023 as well as with tourist in-flow of about 2.7 million in 2018 which is expected to also rise to 5.5 million in 2023. 

Victoria Falls is also earmarked for a state of the art medical tourism which is courtesy of the city’s natural scenery and the seven-wonder falls. The two endowments serve as a therapeutic commodity which is unique to Zimbabwe.  

Therefore, the best we can do is to ensure that the economic gains accrued from our Victoria-Falls are immensely used for the benefit of this province and Zimbabwe as a whole. The country’s turn to devolution could avail an opportunity for the long-stalled Zambezi Water Project to be implemented in a bid to deal with the region’s perennial water crisis (Musemwa 2012). Devolution should strengthen the expediting and implementation of this crucial project. 

Last, but not least, this province is an important gateway to Sadc North-South corridor with Kazangula border being a vital synergy for regional trade. This means that Matabeleland-North is an entry point for goods and services the SADC region. 

This strategic location of Mate eland-North also makes the province a strategic economic bank for the recently adopted African Union Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA). The CFTA mechanism follows Africa’s commitment to decimate the hindrances of the colonial legacy in restricting the mobility of goods and services in Africa.  Therefore, this positions Mat North as a relevant anchor of pan-African trade and commerce.  The nexus between economic growth and knowledge production: A case of Lupane State University (LSU)

It is no coincidence that Lupane State University finds its residence in Matabeleland-North – with all its rich socio-economic endowments. This involuntarily compels the university to be a hub of generating an ecology of knowledge(s) that feed into interpreting theory into practice, but most importantly converting the abstract extractions to beneficiation. Curriculum should be geared towards re-engineering the courses churned out to embrace the needs of the mooted Special Economic Zones (SEZ).

This means that there must be an ardent and deliberate commitment to ensuring that LSU’s faculties give a new meaning to the production of coal and other energy products. In the same manner, the university must explore research which ensures that the Methane gas is sustainably exploited to meet Zimbabwe and Africa’s energy needs.   

On that note, I encourage LSU to serve as a nucleus for the production of knowledge which is responsive to Mat North’s comparative advantage and consequently, national and global development. Mat North can do it for herself and indeed Mat North can do it for Zimbabwe; in the same manner she can do it for Africa and the world.

As the famous poet, Mzwakhe Mbuli put it: ‘Indlala izaphela eAfrica umasizenzela’. Yikho mina ngithi indlala izaphela eMat North uma thina sizenzela.  

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