Lima has come and gone . What a relief . But now starts the hard work. It seems this is normal to life. No sooner have you overcome one hurdle only to be confronted by another set of hurdles. Very little time if any to celebrate.
The World Bank , African Development Bank , International Monetary Fund and the creditor nations have all given approval to Zimbabwe’s proposed economic reform and debt clearance plan presented to the international community in Lima. This is a good sign .
There must be extensive and robust debate as to what actions follow next, what the priorities are and what the timelines are. We find ourselves in a place where and a time in which we have an historic opportunity to remake our future. To write a new story about ourselves going forward. We have been in crisis for much too long . This time we simply must take the necessary painful actions befitting of our potential and the seriousness of our predicament.
We live in what is Africa’s most peaceful region . Our country is an essential transit hub for the region touching the fortunes of Zambia , Malawi , the DRC and northern Mocambique. Were we to collapse , even South Africa would not be immune to the effects thereof.
It is true that all economies eventually recover . This is another clear lesson from life. However , this has to be consciously made to happen with a keen eye on results.
But where are we as a country? Disinflation at -3.11% for September 2015 after -2.77% in August. Employment levels clearly unacceptable and getting worse , some say at as low as in 1968.Productive sector productivity at an all time low . Cotton farm production at less than 400kg per hectare. Maize production below 500kg per hectare . Manufacturing capacity utilisation now close to 30% on average. Current account deficit persistently high and close to $4 billion per year. GDP to decline to 1.5% in 2015. External debt above US$10billion .
Of course this did not happen overnight . We watched as all this unfolded. It did not happen at night but mostly during the day. One key question that needs to be answered is just how we avoid getting ourselves back into this quagmire ever again. This is probably the most important question to answer . Certainly the International Financial Institutions(IFIs) and the creditor nations will need credible answers to this question. In any case we should make sure we have satisfactory answers just for our own comfort too.
Of course we need a comprehensive , inclusive and technically sound crisis response programme , implemented with speed. We must attend to the what aspect , the technical work that must be done . The structural and other economic reforms , more incentives for foreign direct investment , making land reform work better for the growth of the economy, soliciting funds to invest in infrastructure such as railways , power and water utilities , and of course dealing with the need for some internal adjustment given the US$ environment and the depreciating currencies around us.
But our habits simply must shift .
We should not plough forward and forget that we must resolve and commit to do everything in our power to avoid sliding back into this state of affairs in which we have been for so many years , in which we have failed to pay our creditors. If we needed a first step forward , it should be this.
When I was young it was the done thing to spit into the ground and swear not to make the same mistake again. There are pitfalls we must avoid.
When we borrow money , we must pay it back in the agreed terms if not sooner. We must respect ourselves this much.
Let us emulate the prosperous and peaceful nations in our actions. This is what literacy should be about , to learn the good habits of winning nations.
Let us abandon ‘home grown’ approaches. Our challenges do not allow such a waste of effort and resources re-inventing the wheel. It is results which matter finally.
We need very ambitious and leap-frogging ideas because we are so many years behind and we have a population that will double in the next 40 years or so. Urban population is likely to quadruple.
Public and national resources must be transparently accounted for without fear or favour. Difficult as it is , we must work towards a small and honest government.
Let us abandon totally , permanently and with speed what has not worked. Successful nations abandon even what has worked in the past because the challenges of the future are different and usually more demanding.
This is not the time for apportioning blame.
If we can get our belief system right , we will do the right and necessary things to move from where we are today into a future of inclusive and sustainable improvement in the quality of life of Zimbabweans. Our crisis response must be rooted and grounded in a strong foundation of those beliefs which have propelled other nations into peaceful , just and prosperous societies.
This has to be our mission.
This is hard work requiring sustained effort. It is desirable. It is doable. It is necessary.
Source: Kumbirayi Katsande
