By Bernard Bwoni
Being negative is contagious and if not countered
with that productive mind-set it spans with no bounds. It is disabling and when
it festers the mind is unable to think beyond the paralysing enfold of the here
and now. It takes over and permanently replaces positivity with pessimism.
Under the gloomy cocoon of negativity, optimism and positivity are relegated to
distant memories. Zimbabwe the country and Zimbabweans her people have gone
through trying times of a magnitude unimaginable and rightly so the pessimistic
eclipse prevails. It is difficult if not impossible sometimes to think past
pain and hunger. The freshness of the wounds inflicted by an economic crisis induced
by economic sanctions overshadows optimism which is indefinitely tucked away
under the misery, the sorrow, the commotion from the growling tummies and the
painful outcomes of all combined. It would be insensitive and inhuman to judge
those who went through the economic turmoil and casually prescribe positivity
and optimism without genuinely acknowledging the devastating individual and
collective experiences. The pessimism and negativity is an understandable short
term reaction but when it roots itself into a state permanency then paralysis
reigns.
The reality is that many in their questionable
quest for 'democracy' have wittingly or unwittingly demonised and destabilised
their land of birth and some are being encouraged into pointless marches onto
the street. The false pessimism unashamedly camouflages the actual positives
and prospects silently shaping up Zimbabwe. There are numerous positive
developments taking place in Zimbabwe right now but more often than not it is
the doom, the gloom and the disastrous that preoccupies the perennial
party-poopers. The recently concluded fiscally and ideologically important trip
to China by President Mugabe has been dampened and muffled by the constant
choruses of doom. The signing of major investment deals between Zimbabwe and
Russia including a $3 billion platinum project have all been negated and
relegated to the periphery of economic relevance by the usual naysayers.
ZimAsset is anchored on four main
clusters of Food Security and Nutrition, Value Addition and Beneficiation,
Infrastructures and Utilities, and Social Services and Poverty Eradication. There
are some initial signs of notable key indicators that things can potentially
improve and a good example is in the Food Security and Nutrition cluster where a
recent report indicated that the number of Zimbabweans requiring food aid is
set to decline from 2,2 million to 565000 next year owing to a resurgent
agricultural sector which has seen maize production going over the 1.4 million
metric tonnes which is enough for national self-sufficiency as such imports
will be mainly for stockpiling and reserves. There was also another report that
this coming season Zimbabwe is also headed for another successful agricultural
season with the Presidential Well-Wishers Input Scheme for the 2014/15 season
now set to cover all food crops.
The agriculture sector has also been on the rebound following the
contentious but necessary land reform programme. Tobacco production levels for
2014 are nearing the 236 million kilograms mark attained in the 1999/2000 season,
a year before the land reform. Evolution and revolutions
sometimes happen silently and the clusters of the economic blueprint have been
steadily taking shape and silently taking off.
The two clusters, Food Security & Nutrition and
Value Addition & Beneficiation are standing out. Over the past few months
there have been a number of notable key indicators that things would potentially
turn round the corner. There is also tangible evidence on the ground in the
country which point to the Value Addition and Beneficiation cluster take off
with a number of critical pro-Value Addition initiatives taking place
nationally. The Diamond Processing Centre near Mount Hampden is nearing
completion and these are some of the anchors of the revolutionary economic
blueprint. The $3 billion
Zimbabwe-Russia Platinum deal is important in that there are within the deal
the provisions for the establishment of a refinery once full negotiations are
complete. There are already plans and progress underway for another platinum
refinery in Zimbabwe. This is a key development in terms of the economic
blueprint as currently Zimbabwe is exporting raw platinum matte to be refined
in South Africa which short changes the country of revenue from platinum group
metals that come as by-products of the refined matte. With value addition
precious metals such as diamonds and platinum will be processed and beneficiation
will happen in Zimbabwe instead of exporting the raw product where the country
loses out significantly.
With the Infrastructures and Utilities Cluster there are equally extensive
and tangible initial signs of the intended outcomes of the economic blueprint.
President Mugabe recently commissioned the $533 million Kariba Power project
which will address the power challenges currently facing the country. The $2.1
billion Gwayi Power Project with potential to generate 600MW is also in the
pipeline and preliminary work in progress. Value addition means our employment
is not exported together with the raw matte but rather more jobs domestically. There
is evidence on the ground of dualisation of the country's major highways with
Harare-Bulawayo at an advanced stage, the Harare-Beitbridge, Plumtree-Mutare, the
Harare-Mutare road and Airport road have taken shape, other road are taking
shape and many others projects.
The stock market in any country is a strong determinant of the economy’s direction with a strong stock market pointing to earning estimates that are on the up and thus indicating that the overall economy is getting ready to grow. Similarly a down market may point to declining firm earnings and major issues with the overall economy. Indices on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) have continued to increase with market capitalisation also continuing to maintain growth since the beginning of 2014. The mining index has continued with impressive performance from June 2014 to date. The manufacturing index has not performed as impressively as the mining.
The strength of the housing
market in Zimbabwe is another important indicator but in the current economic
environment in Zimbabwe it needs to be used with caution. It could be that
house prices in the country are overpriced but it is a demand and supply issue.
The strength of the Zimbabwe housing market lies in the fact that most
The country has remained
receptive to positive engagement with all development partners. Although the
strength of formal or payroll employment remains weak as an indicator there is
an urgent need to harness the strength of the informal sector employment. Zimbabwe has made inroads in information and technology assimilation
with a 100% mobile penetration according to the Postal and Telecommunications
Regulatory Authority (Potraz). Zimbabwe has in excess of 13.5 million mobile
phone subscribers. With a population of 13.4 million people that translate to
every individual in the country having access to mobile phone communication.
The country is also ranked top of the literacy rate
on the continent and that points to the progressive policies of the government.
The European Council on Tourism and Trade (ECTT) recently awarded Zimbabwe the
2014 World Best Tourism Destination describing the country as 'a safe, open and
perfect tourist destination'.
The list of positive things happening in Zimbabwe
is endless but these always and often gets buried under that veil of
negativity. Ideas build nations and ideas do not stem from negative mind sets.
We have a great country, we own it and owe it to ourselves to preserve and
protect it from the negative onslaught. To be negative about oneself is an
inbuilt fear of own potential. Vultures often prey on that fear to permanently
stifle that potential and the possibilities. There are no boundaries to the
possibilities that Zimbabwe has to offer her citizens and the opportunities are
being presented without limits. Now is not the time for the so-called
'moderates' to champion the vultures' cause but to embrace these endless
possibilities.
The only way for Zimbabwe is up and you cannot help
but notice. Now is the time to take a break from the usual doom and gloom and
highlight the positives.
bernardbwoni.blogspot.com
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