PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa says the devolution agenda is not a political empowerment tool but a means to achieve equitable economic development in all the country’s provinces.

He said this when he met ministers of state for provincial affairs in Harare this morning.

When the government started implementing the devolution agenda which is enshrined in the country’s constitution, it envisaged the strategy as a tool for development in all parts of the country.

Addressing the ministers, the President was clear on his expectation from the ministers and an end to lopsided development which gives Harare an advantage.

“We set out to implement devolution not merely as a political empowerment tool but as a means to achieve equitable economic development and equalization for all parts of our economy. We boldly declared an end to red tape, bureaucracy and lopsided development associated with the perception of Harare Province being a Bamba zonke……By so doing, we envisaged the development of vibrant provincial economies with distinct provincial GDPs and the associated rural industry systems. This model was and still is an important building block to keep in mind this goal and work tirelessly to achieve the desired results….As our provincial ministers, you are important cogs in all the implementation of government policies and development programmes,” said the President.

The President also spoke on how development is hinged upon enhanced agricultural production, urging farmers to embrace various government empowerment initiatives.

“Our agricultural sector must remain vibrant and the nucleus around which we can leapfrog our development and modernisation. The government recently launched the Agriculture Recovery Plan, to ensure agriculture transformation and modernisation for the attainment of food self-sufficiency through smart agriculture practices….It is anticipated that the downsizing of farms will avail more land for productive use. Our farming land must be used efficiently and optimally. The days of people holding large tracks of idle land are over. The use it and lose it principle will apply over and above the maximum farm size restrictions…I urge all our structures to help popularise the Pfumvudza farming concept for our communal and smallholder farmers. The government will continue to avail resources to support our farmers through both the Presidential Input Support Scheme and the Command Agriculture, under the new financing model,” highlighted the President.

All the 10 ministers of provincial affairs attended the meeting, which also saw Vice President Kembo Mohadi, several cabinet ministers and the Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency (ZIDA) taking part.