Harnessing Manicaland’s potential for development
MANICALAND is a sleeping giant among Zimbabwe’s provinces, boasting vast business opportunities and huge potential to turn into the country’s developmental powerhouse.
As a force to reckon with, the province enjoys a competitive and comparative edge in several different sectors of the economy that can be harnessed and exploited to drive its growth and development.
Manicaland’s natural resources, optimal climatic conditions and locational advantage can be leveraged to pivot the province’s economic development and social transformation.
Coupled with being home to qualified and competent human capital, the province also has the brains, skills and expertise to turn the wheels of the province’s development into motion.
As such, Manicaland continues to make steady progress in growing its provincial per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Hinged on key economic enablers such as agriculture, mining, tourism and manufacturing, among many others, there has been a marked improvement in the provincial GDP over the years, which has risen from US$1 191 million in 2019 to US$1 522 in 2022.
The province is on the right path in its chase of the National Development Strategy (NDS1) target of US$$3 200 by Year 2025.
This, therefore, calls for all players — public and private included — to put their hands on the deck in hot pursuit of the goals and create a boon in production on many fronts.
This is a smart move that is key in unlocking and fulfilling Manicaland’s vast potential.
Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza, could have not put it more aptly when he stated that the province is poised for massive achievements.
“We are happy that the private sector in Manicaland has also come on board to ensure that the economic wheels continue turning. We have witnessed a number of signature projects being rolled out and some are in the pipeline.
This shows the confidence the investors have in the leadership of President Mnangagwa and the Second Republic. “From all sectors of the economy, something is happening and nothing will stop us from reaching our set NDS1 targets as well as attaining Vision 2030. We have rolled out life-changing projects in all sectors of the economy. We have a people-centred transformation agenda,” said Minister Mugadza.
Sound investments in key sectors like agriculture, mining, tourism, manufacturing, construction and real estate, can trigger the province’s economic development into flourishing.
On the whole, not only will this change the face of Manicaland, but it will also improve the quality of life as well as create jobs for the local people and others from beyond.
Maintaining and repairing existing infrastructure — chief among them the road network for transportation of goods and people and dams to power irrigation and generate electricity – is instrumental in spurring increased production and productivity.
Rural industrialisation, capacitating the workforce, mechanising our agricultural operations and robust healthcare services can also bring the desired outcomes. Local authorities must also improve service delivery in both rural and urban areas by availing land for housing, making access to social amenities easy and regularising informal settlements. This will ensure that no one and no place is left behind as Zimbabwe moves to attain an empowered and prosperous upper-middle income society by 2030.
For Manicaland Province, there is always room for improvement by ticking all the boxes in the national development blueprint —NDS1 — key pillars like economic growth and stability; food and nutrition security; health and wellbeing, housing delivery; devolution; infrastructure and utilities as well as social