Online Reporter
Roselyne Sachiti
Assistant Editor
ACTING PRESIDENT Kembo Mohadi says Zimbabwe witnessed remarkable progress in the political and socio-economic spheres in 2024, marked by the launch of the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency and significant infrastructure development, despite challenges presented by El Niño-indued drought.
Speaking to journalists at his Munhumutapa offices on Friday, Acting President Mohadi said, under the stewardship of President Mnangagwa, Government took bold and decisive action to pursue and consolidate the development thrust towards attainment of Vision 2030.
The introduction of the ZiG in April, he said, marked a significant step towards stabilising the country’s economy and establishing a foundation for sustained economic growth.
“Government, through its Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, introduced the Zimbabwe Gold currency to replace the Zimbabwean dollar which was there. This step boldly stabilised the economy. It lay the foundation for sustained economic growth, as no country in the world can develop without its own currency,” he said.
Launched on April 5 last year, the ZiG has remained relatively stable.
Although the severe drought in 2024 posed challenges, he added, significant progress was still made. “The impact of last year’s severe drought somewhat slackened our progress on many fronts, infrastructure development included, as we had to divert resources to mitigate the effects of drought.
“However, Zimbabwe completed 820 kilometres of the Harare-Beitbridge highway and 1 500km of road rehabilitation.
“We also saw the commissioning of the new RGM International Airport by His Excellency, which increased the airport’s passenger capacity significantly,” added Acting President Mohadi. In February 2021, Zimbabwe declared all roads a State of Disaster.
Shortly after, a second Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP II) was introduced. The primary goals of this initiative were to enhance the road infrastructure, which had suffered significant damage during the rainy season, and leverage the transport system’s potential to foster economic development.
The programme has since been extended to next year. In the area of housing, he said, the Government has made significant progress in achieving the target of 220 000 housing units. The Government, he noted, remains committed to President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 for Zimbabwe.
“I am happy to inform the nation that the whole of Government remains steadfast on President Mnangagwa’s commitment to realise his Vision 2030 for Zimbabwe,” he said. “It cannot be business as usual. You will see marked changes in the way we conduct business.”
Acting President Mohadi also said Zimbabwe continued to assert its leadership role in SADC in 2024.
In August 2024, we successfully hosted the 44 SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government, a prestigious event that brought together leaders from across the region.
“I think it was the most well-attended summit as compared to other summits that came before it. There were very few Heads of State that did not attend,” he said.
