Devolution is Economically Practical in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s resource base has the potential to sustain all provinces in the country under a devolved state as long as there is accountability in the exploitation of those resources, a renowned economist, Dr. Eric Bloch has said.

Speaking during a Zimbabwe Devolution and Democracy conference in Bulawayo last weekend, Dr. Block said, “There is a general misconception that Harare is the major economic base of Zimbabwe but this is only because it is where all the diplomats, senior government officials and company headquarters are. The glowing picture of economic activity is true for each province in the country.”

He said that Zimbabwe’s economy has the potential of being the fifth strongest in Africa because of the immense resource base and geographic advantage that it is located to be the ideal supplier of sub-Saharan Africa. He highlighted the availability of minerals, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing as well a highly skilled labour base as key elements of the economy that make the economy potentially one of the most vibrant in the continent.

Dr. Eric Block making a presentation during the conference

During the conference a number of concerns were raised with regards to the concentration of administrative and financial authority in the capital with a negative impact of even development in Zimbabwe. Speaking at the same conference, Mr Farai Maguwu, an Alison Des Forges award winner, said that “The politicisation of natural resources has led to those resources only benefiting a few individuals in Zimbabwe.  There is no accountability in the current centralised system of governance to the extent that no one knows how much of those minerals are being extracted. Those natural resources are currently not even benefiting the local communities in which they are extracted,” he said.

There was a general consensus that a localised government is closer to the people and is therefore bound to be more efficient in addressing their needs.

The Zimbabwe Devolution and Democracy conference that was organised by NYDT, in partnership with BPRA and Bulawayo Agenda ran under the theme “Deepening Democracy Through Devolution”. The Conference saw renowned academics, government officials and civic actors interrogating the concept of devolution as a way of facilitating effective and efficient governance of Zimbabwe.