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Zvamaida Murwira, Harare Bureau

GOVERNMENT officials at all levels must institutionalise future thinking as a key component to improving strategic planning and performance management, President Mnangagwa has said.

The Head of State and Government said this yesterday at State House in Harare where he presided over the announcement of the 2023 performance evaluation results and the signing ceremony of 2024 performance contracts for ministers and heads of public sector agencies.

“I challenge all levels of our bureaucracy to institutionalise future thinking as a key component of improving strategic planning and performance management. Let us deliberately develop and nurture a larger pool of experts with the requisite skills for planning, predicting and projecting future trends, going into decades, for the future designs of our country as well as the modernisation and competitiveness of our economy. 

“We must think beyond the present,” said President Mnangagwa.

He implored leaders of Government departments to remain humble in serving the people and desist from pushing selfish interests.

“As Ministers and Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, you must lead by example and provide the requisite leadership and guidance to those that work with you. Unity, discipline and professionalism remain critical for nation-building. There is no room for inflated egos and personality cults in my Administration,” President Mnangagwa said.

“Government, under the Second Republic, must always have a human face and be ready to wholeheartedly and respectfully serve the people of our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe. Therefore, as public officials, you must  work with humility, integrity and respect. We are a Government of the people. Our culture, norms, traditions and language should always be respected and our policies simplified to be understood at the grassroots level.”

The Government, he said, will continue to create synergies with the ruling Zanu-PF party.

“In line with our decision to enhance synergies  between the Government and our ruling party, Zanu-PF, the Resolutions of our Party Congresses and Conferences must be implemented at Government level. Strategic Plans and Performance Contracts should, thus, infuse and mainstream the policy direction and priority areas as directed by the party. Government, through the Presidential Affairs Department in my Office, will continue working in collaboration with the ruling party to monitor progress in this regard,” President Mnangagwa said.

He urged bureaucrats to roll up their sleeves and work hard to deliver high-quality services to the people.

“Despite the award of trophies today to those who have excelled in different ministries, departments and agencies, overall performance across the public sector is not to my expectation. This demands that we all roll-up our sleeves and work harder to deliver a higher quality of life for our people and realise our optimal economic potential,” the President said.

“In line with  the people-centred policies of the Second Republic and the Whole of Government and Society Approach, the perspectives of ordinary citizens, including the private sector, should be considered during the evaluation of Performance Contracts. This approach should also incorporate the involvement of a broader spectrum of stakeholders in development planning and participation, under National Development Strategy 1 Thematic Working Groups.”

He said the partnership between Zimbabwe and the United Arab Emirates, under the Government Experience Exchange Programme, provides an opportunity for lessons that can be contextualised to revamp the country’s public sector ecosystems.

“Aspects  such as the  institutionalisation of the Government Excellence and Accelerator Models must be localised to re-invigorate and re-configure the way we discharge public services, in a manner that suits our peculiar realities. Undoubtedly, a robust Information  Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure backbone is critical in advancing our multi-pronged Government modernisation agenda. ICTs must, therefore, be leveraged to improve service delivery and reduce malpractices in our public sector,” President Mnangagwa said.

He said decentralisation of various structures of Government must cascade from head office right down to ward level and deployment of personnel must reflect that thrust.

 “The implementation of the devolution and decentralisation agenda should be strengthened now and going into the future. The decentralisation of various structures found at ministry head offices must be cascaded to the sub-national levels right down to the ward level where Government must be most visible. The strategies that have been put in place to strengthen the offices of the Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution should be implemented, more so that devolution is now a measurable variable in the Performance Contracts for Senior Public Officials,” said President Mnangagwa.

He said as public sector officials, they had  been entrusted with the responsibility to lead in bringing to reality the country’s National Vision and the people’s aspirations.

“This must never be taken lightly. The confidence and faith that the people of Zimbabwe have reposited in us over the years by consistently  voting for our ruling party, Zanu-PF, should never be taken for granted,” President Mnangagwa said.

Speaking at the same occasion, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga commended President Mnangagwa for his astute  leadership, saying he was determined to deliver service to the people.

“He has paved the way for a brighter and prosperous future for all of us,” he said.

Vice-President Kembo Mohadi described the rewarding of excellency as a milestone development that would speed up the realisation of national objectives. “Need I remind you that success begets success,” he said.