Mnangagwa reshuffles Cabinet committees

President Mnangagwa has reconfigured Standing Cabinet Committees to give impetus to the implementation of the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) and future development plans.

This was said by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda in his opening remarks during a meeting with the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) to familiarise its members with Government programmes.

"The TSP is hinged on the following key pillars or clusters namely; the Governance pillar, the inclusive economic growth pillar, the macro-economic stability and financial re-stabilisation pillar, the social development pillar and the infrastructure utilities pillar.

"From the Cabinet perspective, His Excellency saw it necessary to reconfigure Standing Cabinet Committees in order to give due prominence to the key thrusts of the TSP and its successor development plans," Dr Sibanda said.

He said the Cabinet Committee on Financial and Economic Affairs and that on Devolution and Economic Development of Provinces and Local Authorities, will be chaired by the President.

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga now chairs Cabinet Committees on Public Enterprises Reform and Development, Food Security and Nutrition and Honours and Awards.

Vice President Kembo Mohadi chairs the Cabinet Committee on State Occasions, Social Services and Poverty Reduction and National Peace and Reconciliation.

Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira will chair Cabinet Committees on Innovation, Science, Technology Development and Application and Human Capital Development, Skills Audit and Employment Creation.

Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Joel Biggie Matiza now chairs the Cabinet Committee on Utilities and Infrastructural Development while his Industry and Commerce counterpart Mangaliso Ndlovu chairs the Industrialisation and Export Development committee.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi chairs the Cabinet Committee on Legislation with Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo chairing the Cabinet Committee on Environment, Disaster Prevention and Management.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube chairs the National Development Planning Committee, while his Foreign Affairs counterpart Sibusiso Moyo chairs the Trade and International Cooperation Committee.

"While all along, Standing Committees were only considering issues brought before them at the discretion of line ministries, each Standing Cabinet Committee is now deemed to be a cluster or pillar, which should, therefore, come up with priority development programmes that seek to deliver on the goals of the relevant TSP thematic area under which the cluster or pillar falls," Dr Sibanda said.

"This ensures the coordinated implementation of all the key components of the TSP and successor programmes. This cluster priority has now started, with the Cabinet Committee on Innovation, Technology Development and Application having met this Monday while the Cabinet Committee on Human Capital Development, Skills Audit and Employment Creation is set to meet by end of this week."

He said the recommendations of the two committees would be tabled before the next Cabinet meeting. "We shall receive presentations on key Government programmes by the various cluster representatives.

The objective is to acquaint our colleagues in the PAC with the major programmes of Government being implemented, so that they may be better positioned to effectively discharge their esteemed role," he added.

President Mnangagwa appointed the 26-member PAC early this year to advise him on key economic issues and reforms that will support his vision of making Zimbabwe a middle income economy by 2030.