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Prosper Ndlovu Business Editor
KEY representatives from different interest groups meet in Harare today to validate the proposed Zim-Asset communication and engagement strategy, which seeks to facilitate successful and timely implementation of the government’s economic blue-print. The Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC)’s public affairs and knowledge management department has organised the one-day workshop that aims at increasing dialogue between private and public players involved in economic development.

Zim-Asset is a five-year cluster based economic development master plan focusing on infrastructure and utilities development, value addition and beneficiation, boosting of food security and nutrition as well as social services and poverty eradication.

Since its launch in 2013, government has been running programmes to promote this economic blue print which is supposed to guide national development. “Halfway through its implementation, tangible progress has been made in some sectors, at times exceeding our goals. In other cases, much work remains to be done,” said the OPC.

“Economic growth has grown year-on-year, yet the primary constraint moving into the final two years of Zim-Asset implementation is the constricted fiscal space that is available to finance capital-intensive projects, which require the lion’s share of resources.”

Close to $27 billion is required to finance economic projects under Zim-Asset with a target of a 7.3 percent economic growth by 2018. The government projects that during the period, two million jobs will be created.

So far in 2015, only a fraction of the costs of priority projects have been met, said OPC. “Billions of dollars are needed in each of the remaining years for us to deliver on Zim-Asset’s promises,” it said. “We’re at a decisive juncture. With just two years remaining, we must move fast. Generating the necessary support from investors and development partners is the top priority.”

Workshop discussions will seek to achieve an enabling, mutually beneficial partnerships in the context of the 10-point plan unveiled by President Mugabe in his recent state of the nation address.