President Mnangagwa has proved his penchant for development and desire to uplift people’s living standards across the country through devolution and decentralisation, as seen in the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS 1) mid-term review.
The President particularly showed off his desire for taking development to all corners of the country in Matabeleland North and the ruling Zanu PF party is on record that he is not done yet as he now gears for the next level in empowering people.
In his first term President Mnangagwa defied odds to champion the Gwayi-Shangani Dam and the associated pipeline to Bulawayo that was first initiated by colonialists in 1912 as a solution to Bulawayo’s water problem.
Several successive Governments, however, failed to execute the project which is now nearing completion thanks to the Second Republic.
On its way to Bulawayo, the pipeline will create a cropping greenbelt and livestock hubs all of which will transform the province.
The Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme which is as good as done in Binga and will see 15 000 hectares of land being used for fisheries, cotton and wheat farming is yet another example of a high impact economic project championed by President Mnangagwa.
Also, most of the targets set for implementation under the NDS1 were met and significant progress was made across all the 14 thematic priority areas.
President Mnangagwa desired to take development to all parts of the country through his policy of leaving no one and no place behind, and during the first half of implementing the NDS1 Government met its fiscal disbursement objectives.
“During the first half of NDS 1, 100 percent of intergovernmental fiscal transfers were disbursed to local authorities, while provincial and metropolitan councils could not access the intergovernmental fiscal transfers as the legal framework to operationalise them is still with the Attorney General’s Office,” reads part of the review.
“During the first half of NDS 1, 858 projects were funded through the use of intergovernmental fiscal transfers. Of these, 296 projects were completed, while 562 are at various stages of completion.
“It is important to note that all disbursed funds to local authorities were used in the rehabilitation and construction of schools, health facilities and road infrastructure, among others, notwithstanding challenges of insufficiency to meet all obligations,” reads the review.
The NDS1 is the first five-year National Development Plan towards Vision 2030, of an empowered upper middle-income economy envisioned by President Mnangagwa, which leaves no one and no place behind.
Herald
*Positive Eye News*
