Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa Monday called on the media to unite and sell the brand Zimbabwe to the world in order to unlock economic possibilities.
The Zimbabwean media as for long been largely polarized along political lines with the state media leaning tards the government while the private and online media perceived to be pushing an ant government agenda.
Since coming to office, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration has faced intense scrutiny from the media over his government’s failure to address key economic and political issues.
The situation has further been worsened continued allegations of human rights abuses by the administration with spaces for civic engagement continuously shrinking.
Although state media has tried to push the narrative that Zimbabwe is open for business, which the Mnangagwa administration has been riding on, there seems to be confusion on what the media puts out to the public.
In her address during the ongoing National Development Strategy Media Training in Gweru, Mutsvangwa underscored the need for all media to speak with one voice and put Zimbabwe’s agenda first.
She said different messages will cause confusion on the would-be investors which lead to lost opportunities.
“The mantra chosen by the Second Republic, ‘Zimbabwe is open for business,’ needs to be made a reality by sharing information that advances the national agenda.
“Zimbabwe cannot be seen as open for business if there is discord in the messages coming out of Government and our media houses as we will be sending wrong, mixed and confusing signals,” she said.
She further stated that this calls for close collaboration between the government and the media as well as the unity of purpose in the media industry in pursuit of the national interest.
“It is my wish that sooner rather later, there shall come a day when there is no reference to public or private press, but there is Zimbabwean press which tows the national flag in pursuit of our common goals.
“Zimbabwe’s ability to create wealth for its people hinges on how much all of us can contribute to the improvement of our national competitiveness in an anarchic world characterised by a vicious competition between states,” Mutsvangwa said.
The NDS1 was launched last month by Mnangagwa and outlines policies, legal and institutional reforms, programmes and projects for identified national priorities that will be implemented over the strategy’s five-year lifespan.
It comes as a successor to the Transitional Stabilization Program, which was meant to stabilize the economy which had nosedived.
To ensure it’s a success, the government has also developed a robust monitoring and evaluation system that will anchor the NDS1.
