Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party has issued a series of directives to the government aimed at improving social services, strengthening the local currency, and empowering the youth.
Zanu-PF's annual national conference, held in Bulawayo over the weekend, resulted in several key resolutions that are intended to guide government policies and initiatives in line with the party's vision of a modernized and industrialized Zimbabwe by 2030. The resolutions include the following:
Social Welfare:
Free Healthcare: The government is mandated to provide free healthcare services for the elderly, minors, and people with disabilities. This also includes free healthcare for pregnant and lactating mothers.
Mobile Healthcare: The government is tasked with establishing mobile healthcare facilities in communities lacking primary and maternal healthcare services.
National Health Insurance: The government is directed to expedite the establishment of a national health insurance scheme.
Basic Education: The government must ensure timely payments for the Basic Education Assistance Model (BEAM) to guarantee all children access to education.
Economic Stability:
Strengthening the Local Currency: The government must implement measures to strengthen the Zimbabwean dollar and expedite efforts to de-dollarize the economy.
Combating Economic Sabotage: The government must curb money laundering, speculation, and arbitrage on the parallel market and criminalize the activities of economic saboteurs.
Transparency in Relief Distribution: The distribution of presidential inputs and social welfare relief must be done transparently and free from corruption.
Agricultural Inputs: The government must localize the production of fertilizers and other agricultural inputs to reduce production costs.
In addition, President Emerson Mnangagwa's party also targeted youth empowerment, directing the country's government to expedite the allocation of 10-hectare plots per district for youth; consider the appointment of youth to boards of parastatals; capacitate youth desks in all ministries; and put in place mechanisms to protect the interests of Zimbabwean youth seeking employment abroad.