As Zimbabwe slowly takes shape- A time for reflection and introspection

It is that resilient Zimbabwean spirit and resolve that has sustained this country through this very difficult journey and hopefully as the country heads towards economic recovery now is the time to reflect on the past and project to the future. The euphoria and anxiety following the July 31^st elections clearly highlighted the challenges ahead for the government and the people’s expectations. The government was tasked with rebuilding and rebranding, reshaping and revamping Zimbabwe to create a solid economy, a home-grown economy and a people-orientated economy. The government has an obligation to create an economy with definite and specific objectives to enhance every citizen’s life and nurture a prosperous and flourishing Zimbabwean economic beginning.

Over the recent months the government has made attempts to nurture a commitment to both quality and quantity in this rebranding and redesigning process. There has been an undertaking to quality for its long term outcomes and precise focus on bringing everyone on board. This redefining process will only succeed if all Zimbabweans share the vision, the collective national goals and collective national aspirations. It is the government’s responsibility to instill innovative ways of harnessing that Zimbabwean spirit and positively incorporate that into national development. The government has to continue looking into collaborative ways of working, harnessing the power of deliberation and negotiation, listening to one another, understanding one another and everyone must start contributing. That divide between black and white in Zimbabwe has to be permanently erased. Misunderstandings breed suspicion and distrust fosters national retrogression. It is up to Zimbabweans to start building one another and foster a sense of shared ownership. There is an urgent need to start embracing victors and losers alike and shy away from a negative anticipation and the pessimistic prospect. The government owes it to the electorate to empower every citizen to start contributing towards the growth and development of this country. Citizen need to be given the platform to pose questions, continue to network, build rapport and to start adding value to our natural resources for individual and collective benefit.

The country has to particular attention to all investors both locally and externally and investors from the East, the West, the North and the South embraced with the same Zimbabwe spirit. Money knows no colour or creed. The current indigenisation and empowerment strategies must never be understated. The trickle-down stimuli from these home-grown economic initiatives will impulse economic growth and wealth creation that benefits everyone. The home-grown initiatives will harness the full potential of local entrepreneurs, set common national goals and eventually look to the wider audience. The country has to continue building new and maintain existing relationships both nationally and internationally. This time Zimbabwe needs to start breaking down barriers as opposed to building them. Intricacy and complexity costs and the nation need to start making things simple, start making things happen and clarity of vision and focus must be fostered nationally and government has to undertake an unwavering committal to flexibility and accountability. The corruption cancer has to be relegated into permanent remission for Zimbabwe’s full economic potential to be realised. National development is only feasible with joint traction and pulling together as a country.

The government must retain existing and pursue novel and creative economic, diplomatic and psychological strategies to kick start our country. The land reform, the empowerment and indigenisation policies are not gimmicks. These are solid and home-grown people-focused initiatives that will definitely create the much needed jobs and improve people’s lives and take Zimbabwe to the pinnacle of prosperity. That said, those under-utilising the land must have their offer letters withdrawn and land reallocated to deserving farmers. Diplomatic doors must remain open as a way forward and the country has to find ways of working with external partners in a ways that are not going to compromise the country’s regeneration, security and sovereignty. The hope is that the economic sanctions against Zimbabwe are lifted entirely and without any conditions. If not, then the country may have to make sacrifices in the face of the anticipated sanction-induced hardships and whilst at it look at innovative ways of being more self-reliant. The destitution and economic hardship that come as a result of the sanctions is the price the country might have to pay to safeguard its political and economic independence.

The government needs to start looking at developing a self-sustained economy and the country to start producing its own commodities and consumer durable goods. All the hard work has been done, now is time to focus on the finishing touches. The land reform has created a new middle-class with a potential to make the country self-sustaining. From an agricultural base the country can now start developing state-led processes of industrialisation which will favour Zimbabweans and Zimbabwe’s interests. The need for internal self-sufficiency must be stressed and the country needs to put emphasis on building on a manufacturing base to supply a range of consumer goods to the local markets and seek to protect against imports. The government must start implementing policies that focus on home-grown products to curb over-reliance on inessential imports.

There is need to prioritise the revival of industries to meet local input needs especially agricultural implements, fertilisers, agro-chemicals and a revival of industry will in turn spur agricultural development which will in turn stimulate economic growth and lead to job creation. Focus on mining and agriculture will provide a platform for industrial and technological development in the Zimbabwe.

It is imperative to look inward and share this determination to succeed, the drive to move the country forwards and that responsibility lies with all Zimbabweans. This time the country has to adapt and innovate to enable the development of a wide range of technical skills. Initially focus on a solid and strong domestic market orientation and protectionist policies as negative as they sound are an essential engine for this revamp. The government has to ensure food security and that can only be done through massive scale production of maize for the domestic market and stockpiling in anticipation of scarcity. The look East policy has saved the country and served Zimbabwe well but the country must continue to seek other new markets, local, regional and international.

The industrial sector is crucial in kick-starting the revival of the country’s economic development, as this will create employment and add value to export products. It is imperative that the government eschew exportation of unprocessed raw materials which often fetch low prices in international markets. The government through the ZimAsset initiative has ensured that precious minerals like diamonds, gold and platinum are value added in the country. The country will get more returns from the value added products thereby boosting economic growth. The platinum refinery project will massively boost beneficiation and promote economic growth.

As Zimbabwe takes shape, indigenisation and empowerment will definitely stimulate Zimbabwe’s economic growth and development. The youth empowerment fund must start percolating down most sectors of the economy and the government must look at creating local entrepreneur-friendly policies and shift attention to the new farmers and entrepreneurs to create jobs and competitive goods. The government must provide incentives for local producers and entrepreneurs and focal to government policy must be protection of the domestic market and on regeneration, infrastructure repair and development. The government must prioritise food security through increased agricultural production and working towards self-sustenance and self-sufficiency. Policies must deliberately support local production and reduce import dependence. It will be difficult to revive an economy with a perpetual negative capital account. The curbing of inessential imports and emphasis on exports will redress this. Indigenisation and empowerment have the hallmark of that long-term vision and strategy. There is only one way for Zimbabwe and that is up.