HOUSE of Assembly Speaker Jacob Mudenda yesterday said Parliament was planning to introduce five-year diploma and degree programmes for members to help them gain practical appreciation of the government’s $27 billion economic blueprint, Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZimAsset).
VENERANDA LANGA
Mudenda announced the plans at a Harare hotel during a capacity-building workshop for MPs.
“We are in the process of introducing an accredited customised five-year capacity university programme for MPs, from certificate level to post-doctoral level as a measure of practical implementation of the ZimAsset framework,” Mudenda said.
“The university programme will involve a consortium of five to 10 local and international universities who will ensure that the programme is accredited through internal structures in terms of their university ordinances and quality assurance education institutions.”
According to Mudenda, the university-level ZimAsset programme would remain useful to MPs even if they have left Parliament as they would be able to implement the acquired economic survival strategies in their day- to-day lives.
“While the Executive makes policies and implements them, Parliament plays a pivotal role in calling them to account for their actions, and to ensure the State and all its institutions and agencies of government act constitutionally and in the national interest and that they are accountable to Parliament. Parliament must ensure corruption is uprooted and that results-based management is implemented. The Speaker will not gag anyone in this regard,” Mudenda said.
However, opposition parties have said the policy document launched by the Zanu PF government last October was bound to fail due to underfunding.
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Zanu PF insists that the plan would be funded through domestic resources, external borrowings, Diaspora bonds and joint ventures.
Speaking at the same event, Vice-President Joice Mujuru said: “We should all shun corruption in all its efforts and forms. Government is unanimous in its resolve to eradicate this scourge and urges legislators to support ZimAsset.”
MPs from across the political spectrum said it was imperative for them to work together to rehabilitate infrastructure, ensure value addition of mineral resources and reduce bureaucratic delays and unfavourable investment and tax regimes.
