Online Reporter
Herald Correspondent Daniel Chigunwe (DC) recently interviewed Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Christopher Magomo (CM). The discussion focused on the province’s performance in 2024 and outlined goals for 2025.
DC: Compliments of the season, Minister. As we start 2025, what promises does it hold for the province?
CM: We are coming from a year which was difficult in terms of planning, considering it was a drought year and our people were depending on food assistance from Government. This season is promising because it is a La Lina year, where we are expecting better rainfall. Of course the rains came late, but Mashonaland Central is receiving lost of rains which is good for the already planted crop. The year 2025 is a promising year where we intend to complete many of the pending projects which were hindered mainly by financial constraints.
DC: Your province is well-known for being pivotal in the national food security. As a veteran farmer, what adaptation measures are you implementing to combat the challenges posed by climate change and the current hostile weather conditions affecting agriculture?
CM: As a province we are not left behind in terms of compliance when it comes to climate proofing agriculture through the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme being promoted by Government.
We have set a target and we have since surpassed it. You will also realise that in 2024 we were the best province in wheat production.
We are also working on increasing the area under irrigation and resuscitating irrigation schemes that have not been functional. We also are trying to complete some of the dams under construction and we are pushing for Semwa Dam to be completed first as it has a capacity to irrigate 4 000 hectares. Once completed, it is a milestone for the province. We are also encouraging farmers to go green in terms of power generation so they rely on renewable energy for farming.
We have farmers like Robert Fletcher of Chengoma Farm, Guruve South, who have already installed solar powered irrigation systems which is what we are expecting to reduce the negative effects of climate change.
DC: Cde Minister, the discovery of chrome deposits in Mvurwi and Guruve in 2024 sparked significant interest. Has this development attracted investor interest? Can you highlight any emerging mining ventures in gold or other minerals that have contributed to the province’s growth over the past year?
CM: True we had a rush, people are mining chrome. Unfortunately, most of the ongoing chrome mining is illegal. It would have benefited the province much more if we process the chrome, but for now it is being exported from the province at a cheaper price. We are trying to lure investors to come and set up plants in the province so that we value add the mineral. We have also put in place measures to ensure accountability of all the chrome production from the province. In terms of gold, we have big companies coming in the province like Ming Chang and Canterberry. Then we also have lithium deposits, especially in Shamva. Besides, we are already home to big gold producers like Shamva Gold Mine, Eureka, Ran Mine and Freda Rebbeca. Our province is the leading gold producer, if we are to judge by the output being declared at the national gold refinery.
DC: What key takeaways do we have from Mashonaland Central in terms of development in line with Vision 2030. To what extent have these projects been inclusive of all in fulfilment of the Government policy of leaving no one and no place behind?
CM: Let us start by infrastructure, the Harare-Mazowe road and the Boulevard road which links the New Parliament Building with Harare is a capital investment to the province and we are really proud of it. We also hope that the Harare-Bindura road will be dualised up to Mazowe-Mvurwi turn off. From this we are extracting a leaf for our journey towards Vision 2030 and a pillar for NDS1. Also in 2024 we commissioned quite a number of schools and clinics, and we have surpassed our target for last year with over 100 percent. We have also made strides in the discovery of gas in Muzarabani. The project has indeed recorded some successes in terms of condensed gas discoveries. Of interest is the vision of converting the gas into electricity to the tune of 500MW and we are proud of that as a province. I have since alluded to our successful exploits in wheat farming and gold mining which are major takeaways for the year 2024.
DC: We have just stepped into a new year, what are the top priorities on your to-do list for this 2025?
CM: We have pending projects like the Ndodahondo Road which links Mt Darwin and Mukumbura Border Post. It is of economic value and if completed it comes with benefits in trade and commerce through Mozambique.
We are left with 34km to reach the border and once the roads are sorted, we will enjoy cross cultural and economic activities.
The construction of Kanyemba City is on our top cards as it also comes with a plethora of benefits. Also, completion of the dams under construction is indeed at our heart. We have also done seminars and workshops to lure investors, especially in the hospitality industry where we are expecting more projects this year. Lastly, improvement of farming infrastructure for the purpose of mitigating new weather phenomenon is another key development area we are eyeing this year.
DC: For the first time, in 2024, Mash Central brought home the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League trophy following the victory by Simba Bhora which hails from Shamva. You are supporting sporting activities through the introduction of Footgolf, to what extent is sport contributing towards the socio-economic development of your province.
CM: We have surely made strides in sports. The champions league cup for the whole nation is in Mash Central through Simba Bhora. I also commissioned a stadium in Shamva. We are proud because it is benefiting everyone. The development of sport means a lot for us in the province; of key importance is the issue of dealing with drugs and substance abuse and the role sport can play to curtail that. We also noticed that talent is easily identified thereby making sport a business.
Our financial ecosystem is improved by having various sporting activities which drive business.
Late last year we also did a ground breaking ceremony for the establishment of a state-of-the-art Footgolf stadium in Mvurwi. It is one sport that has fast grown in the province and we expect to host an international tournament this year which will obviously impact on the tourism sector of the province.
DC: Anything else you want to say, Minister?
CM: As Mash Central what we foresee happening in this 2025 is growth in terms of farming, mining, tourism and other sectors. But for these to be achieved, they say the chain is as strong as its weakest link, and I always encourage my staff that no weak link should be found in us so that we are all strong and work as a team. Also worth mentioning is the encouragement of human capital development where we want the right people to be employed in the right place which will add value towards our vision. However, the bottom line is to have everyone being part and parcel of the upper middle income economy by 2030.
