President Emmerson Mnangagwa State of the Nation Address- 22 October 2020

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa was today upbeat about the country’s recovery in his State of the nation Address. Below is the full address:

I warmly welcome you all to the State of the Nation Address and Official Opening of the Third Session of the Ninth Parliament of Zimbabwe. The need to abide by COVID-19 protocols has compelled us to adopt the virtual platform for this occasion and similar ones when in ordinary times we would have assembled in our Parliament Building.

Mr. Speaker Sir, Madam President;

Our economy has faced a number of internal shocks in an environment of changing climatic conditions, sanctions and lately the COVID-19 pandemic. First and foremost, therefore, I want to sincerely thank all Zimbabweans for their cooperation, discipline and resilience during these unprecedented times. Let us continue in unity and resolve to find solutions to challenges which confront us. Our heartfelt sympathies are with all individuals and families who lost loved ones.

Normalcy is gradually being restored to our systems following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I appeal to us to carry on adhering to the World Health Organisation guidelines to consolidate the gains we have so far achieved.

We have now reopened our skies to domestic and international flights, and simultaneously allowed the tourism and other critical sectors to also reopen.

Government made a deliberate decision to reopen schools to enable  children who constitute our rich future human resource endowment, to conclude the year and progress to the next grades in the coming year. We will redouble efforts to ensure that syllabi are completed and examinations proceed smoothly in a safe, secure and stable environment for both teachers and learners.

Mr. Speaker Sir, Madam President;

Our Transitional Stabilisation Programme has delivered and there are causes for optimism. My Government is indeed encouraged by the current economic stability, evident since the launch of the foreign exchange auction system in June. The system has resulted in the stability of the foreign exchange rate as well as the prices of our goods and services.

To mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Government availed ZW$18 billion Stimulus Package for the productive sectors, vulnerable social groups and provision of public services, especially health, water and sanitation.

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