The incoming administration will also need to finalise the land reforms and land tenure processes to unlock capital and increase agricultural productivity; Integrate research, development and entrepreneurship into every sector to unleash new ideas and new streams of wealth creation; Engage and leverage the diasporas’ relationships, skills and financial capital & ensure sound, evidence-driven and holistic monetary and fiscal policies that engender trust, & accountability to the citizens while creating macroeconomic stability and unleashing domestic and international investment.
Rapid economic growth in Zimbabwe will initially be driven by 5 key sectors which are Agriculture, Mining, Tourism, Industry and Manufacturing as well as Financial Services. However as the economy begins to turn, additional sectors will start to become significant contributors and these include Information Communication and Technology; Regional Wholesale and Retail Trade; Provision of offshore services such as billing or call centers for global companies.
Industries of the future such as Biotechnology, Nano-technology, bio-pharmaceuticals, as well as advanced manufacturing etc. will begin to provider bigger and more meaningful contribution to job, wealth creation and GDP growth.
Zimbabwe will need to build these sectors and very quickly integrate regionally and internationally into the global value chains, in order to increase markets for these products and services.
As a priority, the incoming administration will also need to urgently work on and prioritise policy initiatives that trigger creativity, entrepreneurship, investment and growth across all sectors.
While the incoming administration must emphasise economic growth to ensure employment creation and ensure that the fiscus generates enough revenue to address the range of national needs; the social development sectors which also represent the core human rights must not be neglected.
The incoming administration will need to be able to provide quality education for the thousands of children who are out of school and decongest the overpopulated schools; Strengthen the health system and ensure adequate financing to ensure that all citizens have adequate quality medical coverage; Ensure that all citizens have access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities; Protect the environment and ensure that it is sustainably managed by all stakeholders.
This new administration will need to facilitate access to decent and affordable housing while ensuring that our towns and cities are well planned and organised in a way that allows sustainable growth.
Social protection programs, poverty reduction and rural development programs will need to be strengthened, without creating dependency and with deliberate creation of pathways that allow individuals, families and communities to pull themselves out of poverty.
Women, children, youth and vulnerable groups will need to be deliberately integrated into every sector strategy to allow for equity and ensure truly inclusive socio-economic growth.
The nation has undergone decades of pain, with psychological trauma to the citizens. The pre and post war atrocities, Murambatsvina, 2008 election violence, cholera outbreaks, hyperinflation (and wiping out of life savings and pensions) have all taken a toll on citizens’ trust of the government and each other. The incoming administration will need to make deliberate efforts to address this polarization of Zimbabwean society.
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Interesting article, I just calculated that Zimbabwe needs a GDP of over $70 billion in the next 12 years. This is because a middle income country is classified as per capita of $3900 and by then it could be $6000. But here is the tricky part, most people are not taking into account population growth. Population growth of 2.3% means we will have 22 million people by 2030 and therefore Zimbabwe needs 15% GDP growth per ab annum to achieve that