Nkayi's 96% poverty rate

NKAYI is regarded as one of the highly impoverished districts in the country in urgent need of support to improve livelihoods.

A recent independent baseline assessment survey report commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), indicates the district has a poverty prevalence rate of 95,6 percent in almost every ward.

With many people surviving on subsistence agriculture, life has not been easy for most households given the reality of climate change and the attendant low rainfall patterns, which have negatively affected yields.

Animal diseases and depleting pastures have worsened the situation in the last few years, threatening the very essence of survival — livestock production.

The business community is also crying foul due to a myriad of challenges ranging from absence of supporting infrastructure, lack of access to funding, weak linkages to markets and a poor road network.

Due to capacity constraints, communities in the district are not able to exploit natural resources such as the dense hardwood forest, wildlife and the bird sanctuary in areas like Mbazhe. The district also has widespread craft talent but lack of training facilities and management skills blights progress, the survey reveals.

In such an environment, formal employment opportunities are very scarce, at five percent on average, according to the 2012 national census report.

The deplorable state of roads, particularly the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road, which is the major transit route, is believed to be severely frustrating success in most economic activities in the district. On average it now takes five to six hours to travel a distance of 158km to Nkayi from Bulawayo, travellers say. The travelling time from Bulawayo can stretch to 12 hours for those who proceed to remote areas such as Chief Sivalo area.

The dilapidated condition of the main road (Bulawayo-Nkayi) not only poses a challenge to trading and economic activities, but has also been described as a "death-trap" for drivers and individual motorists who ply the road on a daily basis.

The business community in the transport, retail and farming sectors are the worst affected by the unmotorable state of the road, which they claim has resulted in severe losses as a result of the difficulties they go through to cart various produce and goods to surrounding market centres. This development, business leaders from Nkayi say, often leaves them cash-strapped and hopeless with some questioning whether the district is indeed part of the country.

The poor state of the Bulawayo-Nkayi road and high levels of poverty in the district dominated the discussion this week during a stakeholder baseline economic needs assessment workshop that was held at Nkayi Rural District Council offices.

Business Community chairperson Mr Maplot Donga said vehicles carrying goods for trade to surrounding market centres in the district suffered breakdowns along the badly damaged parts of the road — leaving many of the traders in fear that their goods may go bad.

"We're seriously affected by the state of the road network. Our businesses are crippled by breakdowns and products go bad before arrival at destinations and we register losses. The road is narrow and rugged and many transporters shun it," said Mr Donga.

"Those who do ply the route are not reliable and that adds to costs. As a result we fear some businesses will cease operations and that affects services and employment."

District administrator Ms Matilda Mlotshwa said it would be difficult for Nkayi to address the problem of poverty without adequate infrastructure such as roads.

"The state of road network is hindering development in the district. Our main road to Bulawayo is in a bad state and needs funding. Nkayi-Kwekwe road is also not so good and needs attention. As it is Nkayi is like an island engekho eZimbabwe (outside Zimbabwe)."

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Small to Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development Mrs Evelyn Ndlovu described the Nkayi-Bulawayo road as an eyesore in independent Zimbabwe.

"Sustainable development cannot be achieved without a good road network. The business community and chiefs here must push for improvement in our roads," she said.

Nkayi RDC chief executive officer Mr Zimbabwe Ndlovu also acknowledged the problem but shifted the blame.

"Indeed the road network is bad and no longer 100 percent safe, worse now because of rains. However, the main roads belong to the Department of Roads, which has recently been working on wash aways and pothole patching covering about 30km towards Bubi district," he said.

"Our gravel roads are also damaged by the rains but we hope to work on them. We are trying our best."

However, Nkayi North MP Sithembiso Nyoni, who is also SMEs Minister, believes there is still hope and more opportunity for turning around the fortunes of the district.

"I would like to differ with statistics. It is not all lost for Nkayi. What we need is a new mindset to say development should start with us here in Nkayi and not from elsewhere or through donors," she said.

Minister Nyoni said rural communities like Nkayi could be transformed through a cooperative model that promotes value chain industrialisation in the districts. She added that such a model was being embraced by several global economies in view of the demise of established businesses over the years.

In addition to addressing the road infrastructure question, stakeholders also recommended that urgent Government and private sector intervention be harnessed to champion sustainable economic projects development. Among the top priorities is the development of a vibrant livestock production industry and breeding technology that would be supported by establishment of local abattoirs to promote value addition. These would be complemented by water harvesting initiatives and small holder irrigation projects, feed processing and milling businesses. Participants concurred that developing a sound food production sector would attract more investment into the services sector.

It also emerged that with adequate capacity building and partnerships, communities in the district could profitably venture into honey production and processing, eco-tourism, leather processing and developing commodity associations and credit schemes as well as developing ICT enhanced information sharing systems.

The Government in partnership with development partners such as UNDP has pledged to provide support services such as revitalising existing vocational centres for training purposes, capacity building, inputs provision and facilitating linkages with markets.