News / Local
Mnangagwa back in Binga today
13 Apr 2022 at 01:34hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa will be in Binga, Matabeleland North, today to officially commission and handover the Binga-Kariba fishing rigs to the local community in a bold empowerment intervention that is expected to transform livelihoods in the remote district.
Today's event is a fulfilment of the recent promise made by President Mnangagwa during his recent visit to the district, when he also addressed a star rally in March at Siabuwa Business Centre.
The President's visit was to be followed by a comprehensive Cabinet resolution, which gave a green-light to the implementation of several major projects in the district in line with the Second Republic's thrust that leaves no one and no place behind in national development.
Guided by the National Development Strategy (NDS1) blue-print, Binga District is earmarked for massive transformation through implementation of key projects, with priority being on completing the ones that had stalled for years.
Among the greenlighted projects set for speedy implementation is the rehabilitation of roads, construction of a vocational training centre and a new border post, borehole drilling, setting up of a nursing school at Binga Hospital and the refurbishment and operationalisation of the hospital mortuary.
When the Chronicle news crew arrived in Binga late yesterday, logistics teams were putting final touches at the commissioning venue on the bank of Zambezi River.
The fishing rigs that will be handed over to 17 chiefs and their beneficiaries had already been stationed.
Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Richard Moyo, who was already at the venue, said today's programme will totally transform Binga communities.
He noted for a long time Binga chiefs had complained that their communities did not benefit from the land reform programme but have the Might Zambezi River as an economic resource.
"President Mnangagwa availed funding for the procurement of fishing boats for 17 Binga chiefs and five from Kariba. So, tomorrow the President will handover these fishing rigs to local chiefs," he said.
"There are five youth groups and five women groups that will benefit. This will totally change the lives of people here as they will be able to generate income to take care and pay fees for their children because fishing is a serious business activity.
"What it means is that all the benefiaries will now be business persons and this project will create more employment opportunities along the fishing value chain."
According to the preliminary programme seen by Chronicle, President Mnangagwa will be accompanied by Zanu-PF vice president Kembo Mohadi and ruling party secretary for administration, Dr Obert Mpofu and Cabinet Ministers Dr Anxious Masuka (Agriculture) and July Moyo (Local Government), who will also make presentations to the delegates.
To demonstrate its commitment to developing Binga, Government recently completed the rehabilitation of the Binga Airstrip while more projects are being rolled out at community level through the devolution framework.
Roads rehabilitation is also ongoing and last year Goverrnment, using funding from the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP), managed to repair most parts of the damaged Binga-Cross Dete-Kamativi Road.
Government is also working on remodelling the Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme, a massive irrigation project in the district that is set to enhance food security and nutrition.
A total of 250 hectares were cleared at Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme and already tilled at the scheme, which is set to be 15 000ha once the whole fenced area is cleared.
Government has put Arda in charge of Bulawayo Kraal, taking over from the Department of Irrigation which had been managing the project.
The projects are part of the broader development of Matabeleland North Province, which has become the epicentre of economic transformation under the new dispensation.
In a recent Cabinet briefing on Tuesday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Cabinet approved the urgent development initiatives for Binga District, which encompasses other initiatives such as increasing access to Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation television and radio stations, and fast tracking the capacitation of the Tonga community radio stations, which have already been licensed.
Senator Chief Siansali of Binga is on record saying the new projects, which are a culmination of a meeting between President Mnangagwa and local chiefs will transform the lives of people in Binga in a big way.
"This comes against a backdrop of a meeting between chiefs in Binga and Zanu-PF Vice-President Kembo Mohadi prior to the coming of the President, who also engaged the traditional leaders on the issues, which we felt were an impediment to the development of Binga and the socio-economic emancipation of locals," he said.
"We are, therefore, delighted as a community because the President did not take this lightly. In fact, it was not a rally or talk show because he even went ahead and took it to Cabinet where it was adopted and approved."
The chief earlier told the Chronicle that plans by the Government to rehabilitate the Siabuwa-Karoi Road linking Harare and Binga will transform the economy of the district.
Today's event is a fulfilment of the recent promise made by President Mnangagwa during his recent visit to the district, when he also addressed a star rally in March at Siabuwa Business Centre.
The President's visit was to be followed by a comprehensive Cabinet resolution, which gave a green-light to the implementation of several major projects in the district in line with the Second Republic's thrust that leaves no one and no place behind in national development.
Guided by the National Development Strategy (NDS1) blue-print, Binga District is earmarked for massive transformation through implementation of key projects, with priority being on completing the ones that had stalled for years.
Among the greenlighted projects set for speedy implementation is the rehabilitation of roads, construction of a vocational training centre and a new border post, borehole drilling, setting up of a nursing school at Binga Hospital and the refurbishment and operationalisation of the hospital mortuary.
When the Chronicle news crew arrived in Binga late yesterday, logistics teams were putting final touches at the commissioning venue on the bank of Zambezi River.
The fishing rigs that will be handed over to 17 chiefs and their beneficiaries had already been stationed.
Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Richard Moyo, who was already at the venue, said today's programme will totally transform Binga communities.
He noted for a long time Binga chiefs had complained that their communities did not benefit from the land reform programme but have the Might Zambezi River as an economic resource.
"President Mnangagwa availed funding for the procurement of fishing boats for 17 Binga chiefs and five from Kariba. So, tomorrow the President will handover these fishing rigs to local chiefs," he said.
"There are five youth groups and five women groups that will benefit. This will totally change the lives of people here as they will be able to generate income to take care and pay fees for their children because fishing is a serious business activity.
"What it means is that all the benefiaries will now be business persons and this project will create more employment opportunities along the fishing value chain."
To demonstrate its commitment to developing Binga, Government recently completed the rehabilitation of the Binga Airstrip while more projects are being rolled out at community level through the devolution framework.
Roads rehabilitation is also ongoing and last year Goverrnment, using funding from the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP), managed to repair most parts of the damaged Binga-Cross Dete-Kamativi Road.
Government is also working on remodelling the Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme, a massive irrigation project in the district that is set to enhance food security and nutrition.
A total of 250 hectares were cleared at Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme and already tilled at the scheme, which is set to be 15 000ha once the whole fenced area is cleared.
Government has put Arda in charge of Bulawayo Kraal, taking over from the Department of Irrigation which had been managing the project.
The projects are part of the broader development of Matabeleland North Province, which has become the epicentre of economic transformation under the new dispensation.
In a recent Cabinet briefing on Tuesday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Cabinet approved the urgent development initiatives for Binga District, which encompasses other initiatives such as increasing access to Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation television and radio stations, and fast tracking the capacitation of the Tonga community radio stations, which have already been licensed.
Senator Chief Siansali of Binga is on record saying the new projects, which are a culmination of a meeting between President Mnangagwa and local chiefs will transform the lives of people in Binga in a big way.
"This comes against a backdrop of a meeting between chiefs in Binga and Zanu-PF Vice-President Kembo Mohadi prior to the coming of the President, who also engaged the traditional leaders on the issues, which we felt were an impediment to the development of Binga and the socio-economic emancipation of locals," he said.
"We are, therefore, delighted as a community because the President did not take this lightly. In fact, it was not a rally or talk show because he even went ahead and took it to Cabinet where it was adopted and approved."
The chief earlier told the Chronicle that plans by the Government to rehabilitate the Siabuwa-Karoi Road linking Harare and Binga will transform the economy of the district.
Source - The Herald
