Zimpapers Logo

Minister Patrick Chinamasa

Business Reporter
THE 2017 Parliamentary pre-budget seminar kicks off in Bulawayo today with legislators and ministers expected to deliberate on critical issues affecting the economy and lay the roadmap to guide the fiscal policy framework.

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to officially open the event today while Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa, United Nations resident coordinator Mr Bishow Parajuli, Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda would join the deliberations.

The three-day event will be held at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) grounds under the theme “Enhancing transformative economic development through domestic resource mobilisation and utilisation”.

The seminar would kick off with remarks from the chairperson of the Public Accounts Portfolio Committee Ms Paurina Mpariwa in the first session, which would interrogate revenue targets, collection and performance of the 2016 national budget and the key budget assumptions for 2017.

Mr David Chapfika, who heads the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget and Finance will present on “key priorities for the 2017 budget outcomes from the public consultations” conducted by his committee.

This will be followed by the outcomes from stakeholders in the Lands, Agriculture and Rural Development, Mines and Energy and the Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development committees.

Minister Chinamasa will be given a slot after the presentations to respond to the committees’ reports on the public hearings on the 2017 budget.

Dr Obert Mpofu (Minister, Macro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion), Dr Samuel Undenge (Energy and Power Development Ministry), Ms Nyasha Chikwinya (Women and Gender and Community Development) and Mr Walter Chidhakwa (Mines and Mining Development) would also deliver presentations.

Outcomes from the consultations with stakeholders for the Portfolio Committee on Industry and Commerce will be presented and followed up by a response from the Minister of Industry Mike Bimha.

Wrapping up the proceedings for the day will be a plenary session after the presentations by the committees and Ministers of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment, Tourism and Hospitality, as well as Environment, Water and Climate.

The programme ends on Sunday.