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PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to revive the economy and improve the lives of Zimbabweans in line with his vision of achieving upper-middle income status by 2030.

Of late, the President has been busy touring mega projects in the country which are set to boost the economy.

On Saturday, the hands-on President was in Chiadzwa, Manicaland, where he officially launched Anjin Diamond Mining Company’s official resumption of operations.

The Chinese mining giant used to contribute up to US$200 million to the economy before stopping mining in 2016 when Government decided that Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) becomes the sole diamond mining company allowed to operate in Chiadzwa.

The move by President Mnangagwa’s administration to reopen Anjin, has already transformed Chiadzwa as the company has since the beginning of the year invested close to US$38 million, paving way for the creation of 500 jobs.

President Mnangagwa implored Anjin and other mining companies operating in Chiadzwa to prioritise employment of locals, especially women and youths and promised to “change the quality of life of our people in all parts of the country”.

“I urge Anjin and other companies here to ensure that women and youths are the largest beneficiaries of employment opportunities being created. I urge mining firms to undertake relevant responsive corporate social responsibility programmes for the benefit of local communities. I am informed that there is a place in India where there is no diamond mine, but they have a US$5 billion diamond industry.

“I’m told Zimbabwe contributes a lot of diamonds there. I don’t know how those diamonds get there,” he said.

“We need that value addition done here in Zimbabwe, not elsewhere so that we extract maximum value of the minerals which we have. With unity of purpose, hard, honest work and greater determination, the realisation of the US$12 billion mining economy and the attainment of our national vision 2030 will soon become a reality.”

Just last week, President Mnangagwa launched the rehabilitation of the Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu Road which he said will meet Sadc road infrastructure standards.

The project which is projected to be complete by 2022, is the busiest in the country and is part of the North-South Corridor linking the country to Sadc, Comesa and East African states.

The North-South Corridor Road project is defined as a multi-modal trans-continental inter-connector, ultimately connecting Cape Town in the south and Cairo in the north.

Its rehabilitation will stimulate development for the country and the region and is expected to carry over 50 000 million vehicles in the next 20 years.

Last month, the President, together with a delegation of ministers, held a two-day tour of several coal mining and energy investments in Hwange, Matabeleland North Province.

Coking coal projects in the area are expected to boost the operationalisation of industrial furnaces mainly in industries that deal with ferrochrome and steel.

Through the use of modern technology, the thermal gas emitted from coke batteries will be used for direct power generation, unlike the current situation where it’s being burnt off, or piped to power station generators as starter-power.

The power generation projects will see the country generating in excess of 3 000MW of electricity in the next few years, a situation which will result in the cutting of imports and start of electricity exports.

The President and his delegation visited Western Coal and Energy Company, a new mine, which will feed thermal coal to Zesa and is also planning to put up 600MW of power plant. Zambezi Gas is planning a 750MW power plant while ZZEE has started working on a 450MW project. Another investor, Jinan/Tutu, has also proposed a phased 600MW power plant. These are in addition to the 600MW Hwange Thermal Power Station units 7 and 8, which is being implemented at a cost of over US$1 billion.

The hard work by President Mnangagwa who is on the ground, monitoring progress on all mega progress not only shows his commitment to achieving Vision 2030, but is testimony of his competence.
Surely, the country is in the right hands.