Daily Archives: April 17, 2021

ETHIOPIA

In general, it also recognises the importance of science and technology in ensuring Ethiopias future growth but, in particular, its ambition of becoming a middle-income country by 2025.

Past efforts

Ethiopia has, over time, been seeking mechanisms to harness the power of science and technology for its development. Various policy directives that promote science have been implemented in the country at different times.

Government initiatives during the past four decades were kick-started in December 1975 through a proclamation (62/1975) that stipulated the establishment of a Science and Technology Commission and defined its responsibilities in planning, coordinating, selecting and approving research programmes, projects and activities.

Ethiopias first Science, Technology and Innovation policy was formulated in 1993 after a lengthy drafting and ratification process that took about 10 years (from 1984 to 1993).

The policy included major goals of building national capability to generate, select, import, develop, disseminate and apply appropriate technologies for the realisation of the countrys socio-economic objectives.

The policy identified four management bodies that were considered to be critical for implementing the policy: the National Science and Technology Council, the Technical Advisory Committee, an Ethiopian Science and Technology Commission (ESTC) and science and technology institutes and centres.

The plan also envisaged the establishment of research institutes, technology centres, design enterprises, and various science and technology support services under the ESTC or as autonomous entities.

Sectoral initiatives

Sectoral policies on agriculture, health, industry, mines, water, energy and geo-information were developed and approved by the council of ministers in 1994. More sectoral advisory councils were also established.

Following the change of government in 1991, ESTC was re-established in March 1994. A year later, in 1995 the commission was re-organised as the Ethiopian Science and Technology Agency (ESTA) and the agency, in 2006, revised the earlier science and technology policy and introduced a new governance structure.

It also identified the priority areas for science and technology as agriculture, commerce, industry, education, human resource development, energy, environment, health, mining, tourism, water, transport and communication, nuclear science and technology, social sciences and meteorology.

Further, the policy outlined the strengthening of existing capacities as major areas for consideration and identified the need for a highly skilled labour force that could utilise science and technology to solve socio-economic problems.

Restructuring of the science and technology ministry

After the successive restructuring of the Ethiopian Science and Technology Agency, the Ministry of Science and Technology was established in 2008. But, after two years, the ministry was again restructured in October 2010 and became the top government agency for coordinating, supporting and encouraging science and technology activities in the country.

The ministry was entrusted with setting science and technology and research priorities in addition to developing guidelines, frameworks, policies, regulations and strategies which facilitated the application of science, technology and innovation to accelerate the socio-economic development of Ethiopia.

Furthermore, the ministry facilitated collaboration among the government, universities and the private sector and oversaw human resource development plans in the field of science, technology and innovation.

It was responsible for developing mechanisms for incentivising and rewarding individuals and institutions that contributed to science and technology and for organising and supporting research councils that facilitated research activities.

The establishment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in 2018 has necessitated changes in the manner in which science development has been led and coordinated at a national level.

This has led to the restructuring of the governance and hence the development of a new policy framework.

New policy rationales

In line with past policy directions, the new policy has been crafted to address the building of a knowledge-based, technology-driven economy and society; enhancing national growth and development through an emphasis on human resource development; as well as sound regulatory frameworks, partnership and funding mechanisms.

The new policy also deals with providing strategic leadership for the efficient implementation of policy, ensuring the availability of adequate funding and necessary support for the advancement of science research and science education as a discipline within university communities, research institutions, professional societies and private companies.

Flowing from the policy, seven core focus areas have been identified: human capital development; enterprise development; scientific research and innovation; infrastructure development and management; governance, leadership and management; knowledge management; and financing and incentive schemes.

In addition to setting out the regulatory and partnership schemes, which are key to implementing the policy, emphasis has been placed on the need for aligning the core areas with the strategic demands of the countrys medium- and long-term development plans.

Science in higher education institutions

Since their earliest beginnings, Ethiopian universities have been involved in promoting science and producing the required human resources in science-related fields of studies.

The faculty of science was one of the first two faculties (the other being the faculty of arts) of the University College of Addis Ababa, the first higher education institution in the country, organised to provide preparatory training in the two streams of engineering and medical sciences.

After the University College of Addis Ababa grew to Haile Selassie I University (HSIU) in 1961, (now Addis Ababa University) the science faculty was incorporated into the university and went on diversifying its programmes.

Apart from setting up the oldest research units in the country that include the Institute of Pathobiology and the Geophysical Observatory, the science faculty is known for being one of the pioneering faculties in introducing postgraduate programmes in the country, both at masters and PhD levels.

It also remains one of the strongest academic units within the Ethiopian university sector responsible for producing a higher share of publications and research output at a national level.

Ethiopias specific focus on promoting science and technology education has also led to the development of a policy whereby, until very recently, 70% of university admissions in the public sector were planned to be in science- and technology-related programmes.

Anticipated implementation challenges

Despite the various structural changes and policy directions set over the past four decades, the development of science and its contributions toward the economic development of Ethiopia still remains meagre.

The failure in meeting national ambitions has been mainly explained by critical bottlenecks such as shortage of funding, a lack of infrastructure and qualified human resources, weak governance and regulatory schemes as well as poor systems of integration and coordination among relevant stakeholders.

The latter is further becoming a challenge for the Ministry of Science and Higher Education that is taking the lead role in the advocacy for science, coordination and harmonisation of science policy and programmes while the Ministry of Innovation, as a separate ministry, is given the role for coordinating activities related to innovation.

In terms of the demand for a more aligned system and shared responsibilities, serious attention should be given to the integration between concerned ministries, government and non-government agencies, civic societies, private organisations, higher education and technical and vocational education and training institutions and other actors and stakeholders who should respond to the new call.

This commentary has been written by Wondwosen Tamrat. He is an associate professor and founding president of St Marys University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a collaborating scholar of the Programme for Research on Private Higher Education at the State University of New York at Albany, United States, and coordinator of the private higher education sub-cluster of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa. He may be reached at preswond@smuc.edu.et or wondwosen@gmail.com.

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Science policy crafted to build the economy and society - University World News

Rafael Sard is an academic collaborator at Esade, and a senior scientist at the Spanish National Council of Research.

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The Earth could have been called Planet Ocean. In fact, oceans are our planets largest life support system. About 70% of the planets surface is covered by water, and 97% of this water is found in the oceans. In addition, ocean currents govern the worlds weather and its dependent biomes. For centuries, a planetary equilibrium in the oceans overturning circulation (the flow of warm, salty water in upper layers of the ocean, and the opposite flow of cold water in lower layers) created stable conditions for the atmosphere and made life possible below water and on land. Today, that equilibrium has been broken: the growing emission of greenhouse gases, primarily due to human activities, has interrupted the energy balance, heating the oceans and altering their ability to absorb these gases. In turn, this upended equilibrium has modified the overturning circulation, altering the transport of nutrients with the consequent loss of life. It has also increased the oceans acidification to a degree that can potentially collapse rich ecosystems and entire habitats.

Although the oceans seem an infinite resource, the reality is profoundly different. Growing scientific evidence shows that the health of the oceans is at great risk and that marine ecosystems are already subject to extreme stress from pollution and overexploitation. The demand for ocean resources is expected to continue growing, furthering expectations for oceans as drivers of human development and a source of food, materials, and space. Reversing the oceans further degradation and preserving their health is paramount due to the many irreplaceable benefits that they provide. As a result, there is an ongoing battle for their conservation and sustainable use.

But, enough of the bad news. A recent study strongly supports the idea that we can have clean waters and rebuild marine life. In fact, its authors argue that we can substantially recover the abundance, structure, and function of marine life by 2050 if we mitigate major pressures, including climate change. The challenge now is how to diminish these pressures.

To spark this regenerative process, in 2015, the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development defined Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Live Below Water), a goal in which healthy and productive oceans are the principal consideration. The main objective of SDG 14 is to conserve and sustainably use the worlds oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. To facilitate this goal in keeping with science-informed policy, the UN also proclaimed this decade (2021-2030) as the decade of ocean science for sustainable development. The aim is to establish the principles to reverse the cycle of degradation and unite ocean stakeholders worldwide behind a common framework to ensure that ocean science can fully support countries in improving conditions for ocean sustainability.

The various regions of the world have reacted differently to these initiatives. Europe set a good example by implementing an ocean agenda with detailed actions in three priority areas: a) improving the international ocean governance framework; b) reducing human pressure on oceans and creating the conditions for a sustainable blue economy; and c) strengthening international ocean research and data.

The international ocean governance framework is based on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which defines the rights and responsibilities of nations concerning the use of the worlds oceans. It distinguishes between the High Seas 64% of the oceans surface and 95% of their volume, that is, all marine waters not owned by countries, and coastal countries exclusive economic zones (EEZ). UNCLOS argues that countries need to show greater ambition and proactively manage their EEZ by improving their spatial planning to achieve sustainable goals. Today, the UN and the High Seas Alliance (HSA) are committed to working with countries and other actors towards the adoption and ratification of a comprehensive treaty to protect the worlds oceans beyond national jurisdictions (30% of these waters by 2030). Polar regions deserve special attention: while Antarctica is subject to environmental protection in keeping with the Antarctic Treaty and a commission was created to preserve its marine living resources, the Arctic is at risk. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has promoted an Arctic Ocean Network of Priority Areas for Conservation to define stable measures for the conservation of its icy-waters, while the UN and industries in line with SDG 14 have prepared an Arctic Ocean Action Plan.

To reduce existing man-made pressures on marine ecosystems, a common ambitious plan with large collaborative agreements and significant changes in all industrial sectors will be needed. Business transformations in both ocean economy (extractive renewable non-renewable, and operational sectors) and in on-land industries that are indirectly pressuring the oceans are necessary to reverse this situation. A sustainable ocean economy (the so-called blue economy) will only emerge when economic activity is in line with ocean ecosystems long-term capacity to support this activity and remain resilient and healthy. Thus, present activities must mitigate and significantly reduce the environmental risks of ecological damage, and illegal activities should be severely prosecuted. The blue economy must be a clear aspirational objective for 2030.

In the decade of ocean science, we will enhance research, launch new monitoring satellite and observational systems, and gather better knowledge of the high seas and their deepest waters. At the same time, we also have to promote greater ocean literacy: starting in elementary school, people need to know that the air we breathe, the water we drink, and even some of the food we eat comes directly from the ocean. We are highly dependent on this life support system and we need to take care of it.

Our human footprint is threatening the health of the oceans due to cumulative man-made pressures. We need to radically diminish these pressures to have clean waters, rebuild marine life, and provide the long-term conditions for resilient and functional oceans. To achieve this, we need to undertake significant changes in policies, institutions, and practices that are not currently underway. The present decade must be a period of radical transformation because what we do now will be crucial for the future of the oceans health. It will also be crucial for the future of our planet.

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Planet Ocean: Why Is The Blue Economy So Important? - Forbes

Twenty-five new tourism jobs may be created at the popular Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa complex if a new multimillion-dollar ride gets the go-ahead.

The Canterbury company has lodged a resource consent application with the Hurunui District Council to build an 850-metre-long downhill zipline on the villages Conical Hill Reserve.

The consent is open for submissions until April 19 and, if approved, the ride will be up and flying by the end of the year.

Maria Feliza Inez/Magic Memories

The popular South Island tourist destination lodged resource consent to build an 850-metre-long downhill zipline on the villages Conical Hill.

The ride, which is being developed fully through a $2.2 million grant through the Provincial Growth Fund, will use technology developed by Christchurch-based Holmes Solutions.

READ MORE:* Flying fox, luxury spa given funding to boost Hanmer Springs' tourism sector* Sky Garden tourist tower proposal prompts call to protect cultural and environmental values* Five of the best eco-tourism experiences in New Zealand

General manager Graeme Abbot said the zipline would be the first ride of its type in New Zealand and only the second in the world.

SUPPLIED

The development plan for the proposed Hanmer Springs zipline.

It would create 25 new jobs and was expected to inject $4m into the local economy in its first five years, he said.

Were delighted this old dream of ours is a step closer to reality with the lodging of resource consent.

The zipline course would allow riders to fly above and through the canopy and treeline on Conical Hill and would finish on the southern side of the hill, where there were spectacular views over the village, Abbot said.

Riders would be harnessed on a suspended seat attached to a trolley up to 5m above ground. The trolley could be set to different speeds and would navigate seven corners on the course.

George Heard/Stuff

General manager Graeme Abbot said if the zipline goes ahead, the company would create 25 new jobs as the ride was expected to inject $4 million into the local economy in its first five years.

The ride was designed to blend into the natural environment by using natural colours and timber, and would be as sustainable as possible by using a solar-powered braking system.

Overall the ride is gravity-powered, so its practically silent. Our decision to not transport visitors to the start of the ride at the top of the hill, means its carbon footprint will be zero, which aligns with our role as a kaitiaki (guardian) of Hanmer Springs.

Abbot said the walk time from the top of Conical Hill Rd up the zig-zag path to the zipline at the top of the hill takes usually takes about 35 minutes.

The zipline would give a boost to the tourism sector, which had been decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kavinda Herath/Stuff

Tourism Minister Stuart Nash talks about New Zealand tourism in Queenstown.

On Wednesday, Wnaka-based mountain guiding company Adventure Consultants announced it was reluctantly placing the business into hibernation one of many people forced to close due to low visitor numbers and ongoing border closures.

Queenstowns 220-room Millennium Hotel closed at the end of January, while popular bar Muskets and Moonshine closed about the same time, and Canyon Explorers went into hibernation in February.

Tourism Minister Stuart Nash set out his priorities for the struggling tourism sector at the Otago University Tourism Policy School conference in Queenstown last month.

He previously told Stuff the pandemic had provided an opportunity to take a hard look at the sector and to fix long-standing issues.

Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools

The water slides at the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa.

Most New Zealanders all recognise that prior to Covid-19, unsustainable tourism levels put far too much undue pressure on communities and our natural attractions, and many communities have struggled to absorb.

Mass international tourism was unlikely before 2022, and he was deeply concerned about the situation unfolding in areas like Queenstown, the West Coast, Fiordland, the Mackenzie District and Kaikura, which relied heavily on overseas visitors, he said.

Public submissions on the zipline could be made on the Hurunui District Councils website.

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Proposed zipline would pump $4m into Hanmer Springs economy in five years - Stuff.co.nz

Prime Minister Zoran Zaevs new cabinet is confronted with a number of economic challenges, exacerbated by the economic hit to the global economy caused by the pandemic In 2021, North Macedonia will take economic decisions that will shape the course of the countrys future.

Despite a modest population of 2-million, North Macedonia repeatedly makes headlines, often due to apparently intractable disputes with neighbouring countries. Athenss trade embargo imposed on North Macedonia in the 1990s marked the start of a 27 year deadlock between the two countries, which ultimately stalled North Macedonias accession to the EU. Only recently did Skopje resolve the dispute with neighbouring Greece over its official name which Greece had previously taken issue with due to the fact that Macedonia is also a region of Greece, and the use of this name was interpreted by Greece to be an assertion of territorial ambitions in the region.

This dispute affected the countrys other diplomatic ventures. In 1999, North Macedonia was one of the first post-Yugoslav signatories of the NATO membership action plan, only to have its accession vetoed by Greece in 2008. Ultimately, North Macedonias Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU has not been the diplomatic catalyst that Skopje hoped would ease localised tensions and draw it into a closer relationship with Brussels.

Under the leadership of Nikola Gruveski (2006-2016), corruption and state capture were endemic in North Macedonia. Gruveksi was averse to opening negotiations with mainstream governments in Greece and it was not until the centre-left Social Democratic Union of Macedonia ousted Gruveski out of power, that there was a breakthrough. Gruveskis successor, Zoran Zaev, capitalised on Greek Prime Minister Tsiprass reformism to broker the controversial Prespa Agreement which settled the name dispute. Two years later, North Macedonia was finally admitted to NATO, demonstrating that Greece was the final hurdle to NATO membership.

A tamed economy

However, North Macedonia soon found that NATO membership was not a passport to joining the EU. Internal ethnic tensions have created friction with EU member states. Relations with Bulgaria soured during the election campaign for July 2020 during which the campaigns of both main political parties played on anti-Bulgarian sentiment..Zaev managed to gain power by agreeing to a coalition with the main part of the Albanian minority. The new cabinets economic hurdles, specifically fiscal redistribution, could be exacerbated by renewed ethnic tensions between the Slav majority and the Albanian minority. Should tensions reach the levels of the 2001 civil conflict, the deepening of this fracture would slow down reforms and deter investments.

The Balkan countries suffered greatly during the Great Recession due to their proximity to the Greek economy at a time when Athens navigated the worst slowdown of recent history. As Greeces second largest export partner, the RNM was particularly hard hit(Figure 3a). The region had barely entered recovery before lockdown measures crippled world economic growth. In addition, North Macedonias small internal market is heavily reliant on external demand which the crisis has depleted. In Q1-Q2 2020, exports fell by 22.3% and industrial production by 14.6% compared to the same period of the previous year. Thus, GDP fell by 14.9% in Q2 of 2020 and another 3.3% in Q3 contrary to the projected 3.2 percent growth (Figure 7). Whilst forecasts suggest growth of 5.5% in 2021, the unpredictability of the pandemics economic influence may yet compromise this figure.

Meanwhile, rating agencies downgraded North Macedonias national debt, in turn raising financing costs. the RNMs debt was downgraded by some rating agencies, raising financing costs. Fitch, the American credit rating agency, as well as Moodys, another US-based credit rating agency, both value North Macedonias debt as a non-recommended investment asset to be reserved for short-term gain. Since May 2020 the outlook has been negative, suggesting the situation will worsen. Yet, with one of the comparatively smallest debt-GDPs of the region, these ratings are still the best in South-Eastern Europe after Bulgaria meaning the RNM has a relatively solid economic base (Figure 4).

The countrys effective response to the pandemic is in part the reason that North Macedonia is economically stronger than some of its neighbours. The caretaker government introduced a furlough scheme, worth approximately 5.5 percent of GDP, as well as a helicopter money initiative. Going forward, the government is prioritising policies that will stimulate economic growth such as slashing parafiscal charges and cutting VAT. Yet, since North Macedonia lacks the economic resources to commit to long-term reform, recovery will be slow.

North Macedonia is contending with mass emigration in tandem with declining fertility rates (Figure 5) both of which reduce human capital. The official estimate of two-million residents is dubitable, with some experts hypothesising an actual figure of approximately 1.5 million. Inaccurate projections of a states total population jeopardises effective government decision making. In the RNM, where the resources are redistributed amongst ethnic groups pro quota, this makes fiscal management particularly difficult. If, for example, the proportion of Albanians of the total population was lower than estimated, then this group will be receiving more public resources that they are entitled to.

Given that the EU acts in a starkly-protectionist way by restricting trade with third countries, greater cooperation is in the RNMs interest. In fact, Brussels could reduce trade barriers in the context of a stronger association with Skopje even before the latter formally joins the Union.

There are steps the government can take to encourage citizens not to emigrate . The first and most crucial step would be to improve the education system. Overall, North Macedonia spends much less of its GDP than the average EU country on education. As a result, few people complete their secondary-level education, and therefore either end up in low-paying jobs or unemployed, andare forced to emigrate for work. Another step would be investment in the underfunded Research and Development (R&D) sector. In fact, North Macedonias budget allocates only 0.36% of GDP to R&D, compared to an EU average of 2.2% and neighbouring Bulgarias 0.77%. Research and development is essential to creating high-paying jobs, driving productivity, and boosting the economy through innovation and market competition.

The silver lining in North Macedonias economic strategy is infrastructure development. This especially true for roads and highways. Grueveskis administration was instrumental in the investment into road infrastructure, starting works for two new highways in 2014.

Still, roads can be rather useless if they do lead nowhere. Thus come trade infrastructures. In addition to new road, the building of new border checkpoints and crossing points with Greece and Bulgaria, will bolster the trade infrastructure that North Macedonia shares with the EU, thereby driving trade with a global economic powerhouse. These investments will also reduce the RNMs dependence on the Yugoslav-time north-south arteries, which currently present a barrier for the development of the functioning market economy that is a requirement for EU membership. To achieve this goal, the RNM needs to improve, road connections towards the west (with Albania) and the east (with Bulgaria, an important trading partner). Building better connections within the country and with non-Yugoslav neighbours will boost the countrys internal cohesion by making it easier to move from one part of the country to another proving supplemental infrastructures to foster international trade.

Figure 6 Highways represent a key segment of the RNMs investments.

A secondary and related benefit of improving connectedness with EU trade routes is reduced economic dependence on Russia. This should reduce Moscows potential diplomatic leverage in future disputes in the region. As a matter of fact, pulling out of Moscows orbit is almost a precondition to full membership in the EU which would bring in more funding opportunity and increase financial stability. Yet, Russias main asset is not trade tout court, but energy. In fact, the Balkans serve as a strategic crossroad for oil and gas coming from Moscow and Baku through Bucharest and Ankara. Thus, North Macedonia should also consider developing its energy infrastructure as a route to closer integration with the EU. In order to reduce the Western Balkans dependence on Russian fossil fuels, the region needs investments. For cash-strapped countries, like North Macedonia, the opportunity to make real progress in this field may come from green funds the EU has earmarked for energy projects in both current member states and candidate countries . In addition, Greece has established an LNG terminal on the Aegean to which links the RNM is planning to adjoin its grid. There are also talks of an electric-grid link to Albania, through which the RNM could import as much as needed and even export eventual surpluses.

Without radical reform, the extant corruption, bureaucracy and public-sector inefficiency will stymy growth in the coming years. Luckily, the EU might be the answer to Skopjes economic woes. The Union is expected to grant 3.3 billion to Western-Balkan countries to kickstart economic recovery following the pandemic. The package does however come with strings attached: the country will have to accelerate progress towards regulatory harmonisation with the EU. This is a notoriously difficult and resource-consuming task, which may hinder other reforms.

Furthermore, North Macedonia must confront pre-pandemic economic struggles. The government could revert to coalition infightings and therefore prolong the process of economic reform. For investors, a cautious approach is recommended, in preparation for positive economic developments.

Acknowledgments The Author thanks Charlotte Millington, parliamentary researcher at the UK House of Commons specialising in European politics and international security for her suggestions.

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Innovative ways to resume international travel - Modern Diplomacy

The Herald

Elliot Ziwira

Senior Reporter

Notwithstanding the deadly Covid-19 contagion which has played havoc on global economies, Zimbabweans will tomorrow virtually converge across the country to commemorate 41 years of Independence from colonial clutches of subjugation.

Riding on the crest of the Second Republics strides towards job creation, re-engagement, democracy, conflict resolution and agricultural productivity, among other deliverables aimed at fostering socio-economic development and peaceful co-existence to eradicate poverty, the nation will unite in celebration under the theme [emailprotected] Together, Growing our Economy for a Prosperous, Resilient and Inclusive Society.

As a first since Independence in 1980, 16 radio stations were resourced to broadcast the Presidents Speech on Independence Day (tomorrow) in the local language dominant in each community.

The Constitution of Zimbabwe recognises 16 official languages, inclusive of Sign Language.

Outlining the Independence Day programme at a post-Cabinet briefing on Tuesday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said 50 learners were selected from primary and secondary schools countrywide to attend the Childrens Party at State House today.

The number is inclusive of Child Parliamentarians with each province providing five children who will be accompanied to State House by two teachers.

Marking the transition from the Childrens Party to Independence Day will be a Virtual Independence Gala and a 30-minute midnight fireworks display at the Rainbow Towers in Harare.

This years celebrations are coming at a time the country is basking in the glory of positives; from a bumper harvest in maize (estimated at 2,5 million to 2,8 million tonnes) and small grains (360 000 tonnes) as well as projected improved tobacco deliveries, to a relatively stable foreign currency exchange rate which has seen prices stabilising across product lines and growth in mining and industry sub-sectors.

In line with the national Vision 2030, the country targets to hit a 100-tonne gold production by 2023, and achieve its mission to have a stable and sustainableUS$12 billion mining industry by the same year.

Efforts have also been made towards the curbing of stigmatisation in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector, a major contributor (at 65 percent) to the countrys total gold output.

This years celebrations also come as the Government debunked the colonial legacy of barrenness through the provision of water, a universal right, to communities previously considered unimportant by successive settler governments.

Since 2019, the Second Republic has committed resources towards the construction of the Gwayi-Shangani Dam (at 40 percent completion), which has a holding capacity of 650 million cubic metres of water, with Treasury allocating $4,5 billion for the project in the 2021 National Budget, to ascertain sustainable livelihoods in the Matabeleland region, rendered perennially arid.

With 365 000 hectares of total arable land in Zimbabwe suitable for irrigation, the need arises to invest in irrigation schemes.

Cognisant that a modernised agriculture sector is key in bringing national Vision 2030 to citizens doorsteps, in March, 2020, President Mnangagwa commissioned the US$15 million Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme in Nyanga funded under the Japanese Grant Aid.

Mindful of the need to move away from over-reliance on rain-fed farming so as to ascertain food self-sustenance, the President commissioned the multi-million dollar Marovanyati Dam in Buhera on November 10, 2020.

The dam, which is on Mwerihari River, is expected to provide water for domestic, agricultural and industrial use.

Inroads have also been made towards beneficiation of horticultural products through Government support to companies in that sector, and the resuscitation of the national herd.

In May 2020, the President launched the Presidential Livestock Scheme at Cleveland Range in Harare to support livestock farmers.

In June 2018, President Mnangagwa launched the Command Livestock programme at Gwanda Showground, to cater mainly for Matabeleland, where he handed over 1 660 heifers to 151 beneficiaries from Matabeleland Souths seven districts with $10 million being channelled towards the scheme to empower communities in Matabeleland North and South by boosting their herds.

As envisaged, the horticulture recovery and growth plan will not just boost exports, but also drive rural incomes adding US$2 000 to the average household income for participating small-scale farmers by 2030.

The recovery plan would require US$1 billion from the private sector and partners while the Presidential Horticulture Scheme, would benefit 1,8 million rural households at a cost of US$186 million.

The Government has also set aside $34 billion for the Second Phase of the Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Programme which was officially launched by the President in Mount Darwin, Mashonaland Central Province on Thursday. The project is expected to create more than 20 000 jobs across the countrys 10 provinces.

Defying the illegal economic sanctions imposed on the country by some Western countries, the Second Republic crafted people-oriented five-year blueprints premised on national frameworks meant to better citizens livelihoods.

On November 16, 2020, the President launched the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1); an economic master plan focusing on inclusive development from 2021 and 2025.

Pivoted on yet another strategic participatory governance plan earmarked at curtailing resource-based conflict areas; Devolution, NDS1 endeavours to streamline gender, youth women and other vulnerable groups, thus creating equal opportunities for all in an economically stable environment.

NDS1 is a successor step to the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) in the drive to achieve a middle income economy by 2030 as enshrined in national Vision 2030.

The TSP, a fiscal and monetary reform, which has brought the much needed economic stability the country enjoys and leverages its growth trajectories on, was launched in October 2018, and ran till the end of 2020.

Under President Mnangagwa, the Second Republic has taken a bold step towards addressing conflict through the signing of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Act on January 5, 2018.

This paved the way for dialogue towards sustainable peace and peaceful co-existence.

The NPRC has been playing its role as mandated by the Constitution, to unite Zimbabwe for sustainable peace by developing mechanisms for resolving violent conflicts of the past and present and preventing their recurrence.

Under the leadership of President Mnangagwa, the Second Republic had made re-engagement one of its key priorities and had established a platform for dialogue with political parties, churches and civil society organisations, to put closure to past conflicts, particularly the emotive Gukurahundi issue.

The Second Republic advocates engagement and re-engagement as a way of pushing for outcomes where the common good is the ultimate winner.

In 2018, Zimbabwes premier investment promotion body, Zimbabwe Investment Authority (ZIA), revealed that it received 165 business applications worth US$15,8 billion between January and June of the same year.

Another indicator that Zimbabwe was a destination of choice to investors was resplendent at the 60th edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) which ran under the theme Propagating Industrial Growth through Trade and Investment, in 2019 when space was sold out for the first time since inception in 1959 forcing organisers to pitch up tents.

The space available for sale rose from 47 612 square metres in 2016 to 57 732 square metres in 2019.

Indeed, the essence of unity cannot be overemphasized in the drive for a prosperous nation where the common good is the ultimate winner under President Mnangagwas vision of one-nation, one-people.

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Zim@41: Nation rides on crest of collective achievement - The Herald

SAN FRANCISCO, April 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The RealReal (Nasdaq: REAL)the worlds largest online marketplace for authenticated, resale luxury goodsand its partners in the company's recent capital raise are coming together to give back to the community. The RealReal is donating $100,000 to the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), which, along with an additional $105,000 contributed by its partners, will help the organization respond to its spike in requests for legal assistance resulting from the rise in violence toward the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

We have to watch for and fight against racism. That starts with understanding the issues faced by Asian Americans and it continues with the work organizations like ours are doing to advocate for equity and justice, said Margaret Fung, executive director of AALDEF. Providing legal counsel and support for hate crimes is intensive work. This donation from The RealReal and its partners will help us add needed resources to our team so we can serve more people and more communities.

AALDEF is a New York-based national organization founded in 1974 that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans. AALDEF has provided legal representation and counseling to victims of anti-Asian violence for more than 40 years and has advocated for stronger hate crimes laws and victim assistance programs.

Joining The RealReal in its donation to AALDEF are Bank of America, Stifel, King & Spalding, KeyBanc Capital Markets, Cowen, Credit Suisse, UBS and Raymond James.

We are committed to supporting and advocating for diversity in our communities. Weve been working closely with our Asians + Pacific Americans Employee Resource Group to support our internal AAPI community and are now working together to extend our efforts to help support communities nationwide, said Julie Wainwright, founder and CEO of The RealReal. We appreciate our partners coming together in this collective effort to expand the essential work AALDEF is doing to advocate for the Asian American community.

To learn more about the important work AALDEF is doing, please visit http://www.aaldef.org.

About Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)AALDEF combines litigation, advocacy, education and organizing, working with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all. AALDEF focuses on critical issues affecting Asian Americans through programs dedicated to social justice, immigrant rights, educational equity, environmental justice and democracy.

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Experts are warning already that the controversial Colombo Port City would be a magnet for attracting unsavoury financial activities and shady economic deals, which would adversely affect Government revenue and real national economy. Would the esteemed Central Bank Governor Prof. W.D. Lakshman guarantee that this would not happen? If he cannot, it would only show that he too has succumbed to pressures from his political masters

The Governor of the Central Bank, Prof. W.D. Lakshman, a trained economist, respected academic and a proud colleague of mine at Peradeniya, stated sometime back that President NGRs promise of prosperity and splendour would be delivered through an alternative and novel path of development, without giving much details about it. However, from his subsequent interviews to the media and public speeches one could gather some sign posts of that heavenly path.

The Governors or more appropriately his master NGRs development model is based on a bundle of thought bubbles, which in economic parlance, would translate into guaranteeing adequate liquidity through printing money to facilitate market-based economic activities and transactions, low interest rates to encourage domestic investment, ad hoc import substitution measures, affirmative action to encourage domestic production especially in agriculture, and above all, not to seek assistance from IMF.

That strategy might have been the need of the time when the world economy was hit by COVID-19 and countries were desperately taking steps at least to maintain the pre-pandemic status quo. However, while the world economy seems to be on a slow recovery path, maintaining the same strategy at home, without introducing structural changes to the economy to favour the most productive sectors, may worsen rather than improve peoples lives.

Already, the alternate path has driven down the value of domestic currency, increased prices of consumer essentials, created supply constraints for local manufacturers, reduced government revenue, and brought down the level of foreign reserves to a historic low.

In the meantime, with debt obligations looming large during the current year, Prime Minister MR and his State Minister for Money, Capital, Market and Public Enterprise Reforms Ajith Nivard Cabraal (ANC), have flown to Bangladesh and Oman respectively, in search of credit assistance, either through currency swaps or loans.

There is nothing novel about this except the two countries they have approached now are Muslim. Bangladesh, until recently, was a textbook case of Third World poverty and misery, but has performed admirably well by the optimal utilisation of its cheapest resource, population. While the other, Oman, which was historically rural and agrarian, because of petroleum bonanza has emerged from a fishing village into a capital surplus economic megalith.

There is a lot to learn from the experience of Bangladesh in the utilisation of human resource. One cannot expect Sri Lanka to perform well economically when its human resources are used sub-optimally because of ethno-national politics,

While MR and ANC are looking for friendly Muslim nations for loans and currency swaps, back at home, President NGR, who is also the Minister of Defence, and Retired Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, the Minister of Public Security, are busy making the entrepreneurial Muslim community a scapegoat for the 2019 Easter Sunday massacre, while allowing those who masterminded, financed, enabled and executed that horror go unpunished.

When an entire community is suspected of extremism and kept under constant surveillance, its energy and enthusiasm to function freely and contribute to economic production is jeopardised. This is true of the Tamil minority also, which is constantly harassed and its economic resources are being plucked away under false pretences just to safeguard the regimes Sinhala Buddhist vote bank.

This is a political strategy at the expense of economic development and to win back the collapsing popularity of the NGR and his parliamentary retinue. It is also a diversionary tactic to hide the failure of the alternate model, which is leading to nowhere.

The controversial Colombo Port City (CPC) with all its fiscal and financial privileges and freedom seems to be another arm of this development model, just as Hambantota Port was under MR Presidency. Yet, CPC is of a different genre. It would, with all its privileges, emerge as a state within a state and an attractive destination for illicit offshore finance, whose economic and financial benefits to the country are highly questionable.

Experts are warning already that it would be a magnet for attracting unsavoury financial activities and shady economic deals, which would adversely affect Government revenue and real national economy. Would the esteemed Central Bank Governor and Professor guarantee that this would not happen? If he cannot, it would only show that he too has succumbed to pressures from his political masters.

Finally, the alternate model totally ignores the economic impact of oppressing the two minorities. Unfortunately, recent developments in economics have made it an objective science by detaching from it the significance and role of the human factor in economic development. After all, an economy exists for the people and is created by the people.

Without people there will be no capital, no technology and not even economic and development models. Therefore, when a section of the population is oppressed, threatened and kept under security surveillance its contribution to economic production will be sub-optimal at best and minimal if not none at worst. This is what happening in Sri Lanka now.

Public sector investment and development of regions where the minorities are concentrated are trivial and the most prominent activity in the name of development undertaken by the government seems to be land grabbing for colonisation yet by more Sinhalese. This ethnic rebalancing is economically disruptive and socially oppressive. It cannot be part of any development model, let alone the alternate path.

However, there is also another danger arising from this situation. Because of systemic discrimination against and oppression of minorities, a significant sector of the countrys skilled, entrepreneurial, intellectual and hardworking human resource has emigrated, settled abroad and contributing magnificently to other countries development.

Sri Lankas loss is foreigners gain. As a result, like the Jewish community before Second World War, the expatriates have now grown into a force to be reckoned with. Originally, it was largely Tamils, but now there is also a small but steadily swelling Muslim contingent. There is also a Sinhalese diaspora, which is also becoming increasingly critical of the alternate model.

It is no secret that the recent setback that Sri Lanka suffered at the UNHCR Council in Geneva bears a Tamil seal. That seal is destined to receive international recognition if oppression of Tamils continues unabated at home.

As noted earlier, MR and his State Minister recently ran to Muslim countries seeking financial assistance. If Sri Lanka continues with its alternate model without reconciliation with minorities, and if markets in the West become less receptive as a result to Sri Lankan exports in the future, those of Muslim countries would become crucially important. However, if Muslim community at home also continues to suffer oppression, that may impact economic relations between Sri Lanka and Muslim countries negatively.

It is therefore imperative for those who berate about the alternate and novel model to pay more attention to some of the non-economic factors that impinge on the economy. As it is, the model is taking the country nowhere.

(The writer is attached to the School of Business and Governance, Murdoch University, Western Australia)

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An 'alternative' path to nowhere - ft.lk