(HERALD ZW) Ministry to prioritise job creation
September 24, 2013
Prosper Dembedza Herald Reporter
HIGHER and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Dr Olivia Muchena yesterday said her ministry will prioritise initiatives that expand work opportunities for college leavers to spur growth and job creation. Opening a strategic planning workshop for the ministry in Harare, Dr Muchena said her ministry will focus more and align all its priorities as outlined in the Zanu-PF manifesto.
The Zanu-PF 2013 manifesto dubbed: “Taking Back the Economy,” aimed to “Indigenise, Empower, Develop and Create Employment.”
She said universities, polytechnics and colleges around the country should come up with initiatives that promote, drive and improve employment for college leavers to address joblessness, one the major problems facing the country.
“As we go about re-organising this critical sector our policies must be oriented towards the goals of indigenisation and economic empowerment of our people,” Dr Muchena said.
“This is the centre-piece of our manifesto. This is what the people voted for and it must become the centre-piece of our endeavours. We must not let the people down.
“Zanu-PF won a resounding mandate to execute its manifesto which in brief is to indigenise, empower, develop and create employment and this is where we are deriving our mandate from.”
Minister Muchena urged workshop participants to develop a strategic direction for the ministry, guided by the ruling party’s manifesto.
“Our sectoral question is, what is the role and unique contribution of Higher and Tertiary Education Science and Technology Development Ministry in the process of indigenisation, empowerment, development and employment creation,” she said.
“We need to have that mandate as a centre-piece and we take our strategic direction from it as we go on with our process of integration.”
She said heads of departments under her ministry should be confident about themselves first to achieve the ministry’s goals and objectives.
“We must believe in ourselves in order to achieve our goals and objectives.
What better instrument can we use than higher and tertiary education to make people believe in themselves that they can indigenise empower, develop, create employment than education,” she said.
She also spoke highly about the country’s literacy levels and human capital development that has seen most Zimbabweans getting top jobs across the world.
The country, she said, needed to tap into this pool of talent to develop the nation.
Labels: JOBS, OLIVIA MUCHENA
Read more...
COMMENT - Does anyone still want to claim there are 'no economic sanctions against Zimbabwe'?
White businessmen denounce sanctions
By: New Ziana-TZG
Posted: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 3:45 am
SOME white businessmen in Matabeleland South Province have added their voice to the anti-sanctions lobby by appending their signatures to the petition against the imposition of illegal sanctions imposed by Britain, United States and their western allies.
The businessmen included miners, farmers, professionals and businessmen. They gathered at St Christopher Primary School on Saturday where scores of people from all the province's seven districts gathered to show their displeasure over discredited embargo.
Women's Affairs, Gender and Community Development minister Dr Olivia Muchena led the proceedings.
In separate interviews, the white businessmen said sanctions were not targeted, but affecting everyone across the country and the Government's economic recovery programmes.
"These sanctions must be removed as soon as yesterday, they are strongly affecting our businesses," said Patrick Middleton -- a dairy farmer from Esigodini.
He added: "You will realise that it's difficult to access loans from banks to procure inputs and we also need to import some of these implements,"
"Business was very sound around here before the country was slapped with sanctions and if they are not removed any meaningful efforts to revive the economy will be met with challenges.
"I am calling on all concerned Zimbabweans to come out in their numbers and support the anti-sanctions campaign."
Middleton said farmers and businesspeople were concerned over the issue because their businesses were slowly crumbling.
"We need money and there is no way we can succeed under these conditions.
"We are calling on the western governments to reconsider their decision which has led to suffering among most Zimbabweans," he said.
Another dairy farmer from Esigodini , Ms Tinky said the banking systems were crippled and there was no access to money to support the agro-based economy in the province and the country as a whole.
Labels: OLIVIA MUCHENA, SANCTIONS, ZDERA
Read more...
Women get 72 mining claims
Business Reporters
GOVERNMENT yesterday handed over 72 mining claims to women in small-scale mining. The recipients who are members of the Harare Women In Mining Association benefited as part of nationwide efforts to empower women and enhance their involvement in the country’s economic resuscitation.
A total of 54 claims were handed over to individuals while the rest went to syndicates who will further distribute them among themselves.
Minister of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development Dr Olivia Muchena said inspite of the presence of empowerment policies, legal and administrative frameworks globally, there is still overwhelming misrepresentation of women in mainstream mining.
"Women own less than 20 percent of all mining concessions in Zimbabwe with only a handful of these concessions being marginally productive.
"Women constitute more than 50 percent of those involved in largely illegal gold panning activity across the country.
"They are also poorly represented at decision making levels in both public and private sector institutions in the mining sector," she said.
Dr Muchena said there is need to remove all threats surrounding the mining sector especially for females.
"The mining sector has generally been regarded with mystification as a sector for the white rich and powerful because mining is associated with very high capital investments, big machinery and underground activities.
"For women the situation is made worse by occupational segregation and lack of access to capital even the most basic tools," she said.
Since its inception in 2007 HWIMA has pegged claims and acquired 231 certificates with an additional 15 claims being pegged for rural women in Guruve as a way of integrating them into the once male dominated mining sector.
The minister said Government had reached an advanced stage in mapping out the rightful administration of the Mining Industry Loan Fund, which will address challenges encountered in the industry.
Some of the challenges include inadequate equipment, difficulty in accessing capital loan facilities, delays in the pegging and processing of certificates, high Environmental Management Agency costs, lack of access to information and limited information.
Speaking at the same occasion Harare Metropolitan Province Governor Dr David Karimanzira hailed strides made by Government towards achieving black empowerment.
"Yours is a huge step not only for yourselves but Zimbabwe at large due to your resilience in venturing into what was once upon a time a male dominated mining venture," he said.
The Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development Mr Gift Chimanikire urged women to desist from corrupt activities that would reduce returns in the mining sector.
Though initially from Harare HWIMA has spread to other areas such as Kadoma, Gweru, Masvingo and Guruve where most of the beneficiaries came from.
Labels: MINING, OLIVIA MUCHENA, WOMEN, WOMEN IN MINING ASSOCIATION (ZIMBABWE)
Read more...
