Zim-Asset funding: China should be applauded

It is with great hope and appreciation that finally the government's economic blue print, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation ( Zim-Asset) has finally been promised to get  funding from the all weather friend to the Zimbabwean people, the Chinese government which has seen it fit to make sure that Zim-Asset programs cannot be a failure but should take sharp.

 Zimbabwe has been struggling to get financial assistance and funders of the Zim-Asset programs despite coming up with this economic blue print some few months ago. As such the Chinese government which decided to fund this economic blue print should be applauded for such a move. The Zimbabwean government now needs to receive this gesture with open arms as this would make the economy of the country to get working again. A lot of people in the country have been failing to have two meals a day as the economic hardships were making things difficult for them, so the Chinese gesture to fund the Zim-Asset programs will be a relief to many people in the country. This gesture is a welcome move to the Zimbabwean people considering that job opportunities for the unemployed youths would be opened up and many job seekers will get employment which will come with the full operation of the Zim-Asset programs.

The Zim-Asset economic blue print which have four main clusters namely Food Security and Nutrition; Social Services and Poverty Eradication; Infrastructure and utilities; and Value Addition and Beneficiation needs financial assistance for these clusters to be fully implemented and become operational. If all these clusters get funds for them to be implemented, there would be a lot of job opportunities for the unemployed youths in the country. So the promised Chinese financial assistance in this regard if it materializes, then it would be a boost to the Zim-Asset programs and the country would be blessed to get such financial assistance from China.

For quite some time now government programs have not been implemented satisfactorily as government coffers were said to be empty and many governmental departments are failing to operate effectively as there is no money for such purposes. So the coming in of the Chinese government with the offer of funding the Zim-Asset programs is a welcome development and should be well received and applauded by all the people of Zimbabwe as the move show that despite darkness in the tunnel but the light would definitely appear at the end of it.

This gesture by the Chinese government should be grabbed and utilized effectively as a means of bringing back bread and butter to many Zimbabwean people who have been finding it difficult to make ends meet. Some people have not been taking the Zim-Asset document as a means to bring revival of the economy so this is the time for the doubting Thomases to see the light and get to appreciate what the Zim-Asset is all about.

The prophets of doom who have been denigrating and denouncing this economic blue print, the Zim-Asset, claiming that it would never take off ground will be ashamed and surprised to find out that their views were wrong. They would be ashamed to see the Zim-Assets programs being implemented without failure. Some of the prophets of doom were laughing and blaming the ZANU PF government of coming up with this economic blueprint without budgetary assistance to it but now that the Chinese government is now preparing to avail funds meant to kick start its programs, their laugh and blame games will now come to naught. The Chinese government should be applauded for taking that initiative at the time when the American government is hindering progress in Zimbabwe by continuously imposing sanctions on the country.

The USA government has recently further renewed sanctions on Zimbabwe which she imposed on the county more than a decade ago by introducing other measures which are creating problems for the country to implement Zim-Asset programs. The sanctions imposed in Zimbabwe have caused a lot of suffering to the people and most of them are finding it difficult to have normal lives, causing them to indulge in uncalled for practices like thieving, robberies, prostitution etc as a means of survival.

Recently the USA banned spot hunted elephants from Zimbabwe and also ordered the Ethiopian banks to stop transactions of Zimbabwean citizen resident in Ethiopia as a way of tightening sanctions on Zimbabwe so that the Zim-Asset programs are affected. The country has been getting funds from the spot hunted elephants with the funds being channeled to the development of rural areas through the initiative of the Communal Areas Management Programs for Indigenisation Resources (CAMPFIRE) in areas where elephants are found.

Communal areas bordering conservative sanctuaries used to benefit from these spot-hunted elephants programs but the sanctions imposed on this sector by the USA has made it impossible for such areas to get funds for developmental programs hence hindering progress of Zim-Asset. Some areas like Nyami Nyami in Mashonaland West, Zamani in Chiredzi South and a host of others have been getting financial assistance for rural development from Campfire programs but now such funds have stopped coming because of the USA's actions. While the USA is trying to kill the economic revival of Zimbabwe, China has seen it fit to make sure that Zim-Asset is funded as a way of trying to revival the economic fortune of this country.

The Chinese government which in its history has never interfered in the internal affairs of other countries and then coming up with a non interference policy in the internal affairs of such countries, should get thumps up from Zimbabwean people for coming up with the idea of the Zim-Asset funding. Zimbabwe is in the economic doldrums with most of the government departments failing to fulfill their obligations, so the funding of the Zim-Asset programs by the Chinese government would open up doors for the revival of the economy to take off ground.

Zimbabwe is among some countries which have unemployment problems with the able-bodied workforce relying more on informal work as a means to get something for a living. The youths which constitute most of those who are unemployed end up being thieves and robbers as they have nothing to do. China which has recently overtook the USA as the economic superpower in the world has come at the right time by offering to fund the Zim-Asset programs. It is interesting and encouraging for Zimbabwe to be associated with such an economic giant. As such the Zimbabwean people should applaud the Chinese government for offering to fund the Zim-Asset programs.

Now it is left to the Zimbabwean government to closely negotiate with the Chinese government so that funds are released as soon as possible for the Zim-asset programs to be fully implemented and get the economy of this country to be back on track.

Mukachana Hanyani is a Harare-based political and social commentator who can be reached through mhanyani@yahoo.com