Understanding Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy
By Sabhuku Kangausaru for ZANU PF PATRIOTS.
- Introduction
President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced Vision 2030 in 2019. It seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an empowered and prosperous upper-middle-income society by 2030. The strategy for achieving this ambitious vision is supported by three implementation frameworks:
–Transitional Stabilization Program (TSP): 2018–2020 (focused on economic stabilization).
–National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1): 2021–2025.
–National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2): 2026–2030 (to be announced).
This document provides an overview of Vision 2030, its mid-term implementation frameworks, and progress made so far.
- Key Pillars of Vision 2030
Vision 2030 envisions an empowered and prosperous upper-middle-income society through the following objectives:
Economic Growth:
• Increase Gross National Income (GNI) per capita from $1,842 in 2021 to $4,000 by 2030.
• Achieve an employment rate exceeding 80%.
• Reduce the poverty rate to below 25%, down from 62.5% in 2012.
Infrastructure and Utilities:
• Increase household access to electricity from 52.2% in 2017 to over 72% by 2030.
• Achieve universal access to improved water sources, increasing coverage from 77.3% in 2020 to 90% by 2025.
Health and Well-Being:
• Raise life expectancy from 60 years (2018) to over 65 years by 2030.
- National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1): 2021–2025
The NDS1 framework focuses on achieving key economic, social, and infrastructural targets to set the foundation for Vision 2030.
Economic Targets:
1. Annual GDP Growth: Average growth rate of 5% per annum.
This target has so far been surpassed as follows; 2021: 8.5%, 2022: 6.5%, 2023: 4.8%, 2024: 2%.
2. Job Creation: 760,000 formal jobs (no data currently available).
3. Extreme Poverty Reduction: Reduce extreme poverty to 24% (progress data unavailable).
4. Export Growth: Increase exports to $7 billion by 2025. This target was attained in 2023 (achieved).
5. Domestic Investment: Contribute at least 25% of GDP (progress data unavailable).
Social and Human Development Targets:
1. Life Expectancy: Increase from 60 years to 65 years by 2025 (current data unavailable).
2. Maternal Mortality Rate: Reduce from 492 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2019 to 100 by 2025. So far 2022 rate: 363 per 100,000 (source: UNICEF).
3. Access to Safe Drinking Water: Increase to 90% of the population by 2025. In 2022: 77.5%.
4. Electricity Access: Increase to 72% of the population by 2025 (current data unavailable).
Agriculture and Food Security Targets:
1. Food Self-Sufficiency: Achieve self-sufficiency in food production.
• Wheat: Achieved; Maize: Target not yet achieved.
2. Maize Production: Increase to 3 million tonnes annually.
• Highest: 2.8 million tonnes (2020/2021 season).
3. Irrigation Expansion: Expand irrigated land by 350,000 hectares to produce 1.8 million tonnes of grain.
• Progress: Increased from 150,000 hectares in 2020 to 217,000 hectares.
Infrastructure Development Targets:
1. Power Generation: Expand capacity to meet energy demand.
• Progress: Additional 600 MW added.
2. Transport Infrastructure: Modernize roads, railways, and airports.
• Progress: Achieved for roads and airports.
3. Digital Access: Increase internet and digital connectivity to support a knowledge-based economy.
- Call to Action
• Empower Youth: The ZANU PF government must prioritize empowering young people. Youths should focus on contributing to Zimbabwe’s development, not merely following party events. They must work in their constituencies, grow the party base, and address the needs of vulnerable community members while striving to support their families.
• Civic Responsibility: Citizens must understand that Vision 2030 sets national targets, not personal guarantees. Even in developed nations, poverty exists. Achieving these goals requires collective effort and individual commitment to hard work. - Recommendations
• Dissemination: Economic updates and strategies should be serialized in vernacular languages to ensure broader understanding and accessibility for the majority of Zimbabweans.
By clearly understanding the vision, the mid-term strategies, and the goals, Zimbabweans can better appreciate the progress and remain focused on the collective work required to achieve Vision 2030.
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