Zanu-PF geared to implement resolutions

MANICALAND is geared towards implementing the resolutions made at the 17th Zanu-PF Annual People's Conference to ensure that the province plays its part in growing the economy in line with Vision 2030, an official has said.

In an interview with The Herald, Zanu-PF chairperson for Manicaland Mike Madiro, said the province would focus on development across all sectors of the economy in the next 12 months.

"As a province we are now geared to make sure that the next 12 months are part of the building block towards implementing the Transitional Stabilisation Programme and from there, we will be set to make sure that we march towards Vision 2030," he said.

"But that vision will not succeed if we operate in the old way. The business as usual attitude will take us nowhere. We are in the Second Republic, we now want people to move away from the corrupt way of doing things. We must have a passion to serve the people."

Madiro said the province should take advantage of its abundant natural and human resources to make sure that the province's Gross Domestic Product grows.

"In terms of the devolution policy, Manicaland is the diamond province," he said.

"Our GDP is going to base on the diamond industry. The policy to value add and beneficiate those diamonds is a positive move that will create employment in the cutting and polishing of those diamonds."

Madiro said the fact that the Diamond Policy document envisaged a situation where there will be a School of Mining in Marange which will train and give skills to the youth of Manicaland in particular and Zimbabwe in general, was also welcome.

Madiro said the province would also take advantage of the tourism industry which has low hanging fruits that could benefit the economy.

"We feel that tourism is an area which will create a lot of employment," he said. "Manicaland has Nyanga, Vumba, Chimanimani and Hot Springs.

"We have all that it takes for the tourism industry and we now want entrepreneurs who can now come up with top world class facilities that the tourists will feel comfortable in when they visit Manicaland. "We have a competitive advantage over other provinces and beyond the borders, so we need youngsters who can now target that important industry."

On agriculture, Madiro said Manicaland has the best climatic conditions to increase productivity in the sector.

He said the province should fully exploit its capacity to feed the nation and reduce the import bill.

"This country is depending on South Africa for fruits like apples, but we have the climate to grow them here," said Madiro.

"We are not fully utilising the potential of Nyanga to produce fruits.

"And if you go down to Chipinge, we have macadamia nuts which we want our people to value add. We feel that they are being short-changed because of the lack of access to the external market."

Madiro expressed hope that large-scale farmers would join hands with smaller farmers to establish macadamia processing plants as well as come up with ways to access the external markets themselves and take advantage of the good prices.

"Manicaland is looking at a deliberate drive to be counted so that we turn our country into a bread basket again," he said.

"It cannot be done by other provinces whilst we are looking. It is high time that we focus on increasing productivity through the use of technology."