China seminar offers lessons for Zimbabwe’s development agenda- Deputy Minister Dinha

Vusumuzi Dube in BEIJING, China

The Ministerial Seminar for Senior Public Management Officials of Zimbabwe will provide the Zimbabwean delegation with an important opportunity to draw lessons from China’s development experience, governance systems and strategic approach to national economic transformation, Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Mercy Dinha has said.

Deputy Minister Dinha, who is leading the Zimbabwean delegation at the seminar, said the engagements will provide senior public officials with an opportunity to gain a deeper appreciation of the role of strategic leadership, long-term planning and coordinated implementation in driving national development.

She said one of the key lessons from China was the role played by the Communist Party of China in the country’s historical liberation struggle and subsequent national development.

“The Ministerial Seminar for Senior Public Management Officials of Zimbabwe in Beijing, China, presents a valuable opportunity for the Zimbabwean delegation to gain a deeper understanding of China’s development experience, governance systems and the role of strategic leadership in national economic transformation,” she said.

Deputy Minister Dinha said the delegation has so far particularly taken note of the role of the CPC in shaping and directing the country’s economic development through long-term national planning.

She said China’s Five-Year Plans provided a structured framework for setting national development priorities, with the plans cascading to provinces and other sub-national levels.

“What is of particular interest to us is how these national development plans cascade from the national level to provinces and other sub-national structures,” she said.

The Deputy Minister noted that while the national framework establishes broad development priorities, provinces are able to take initiatives suited to their respective circumstances and development needs.

According to Deputy Minister Dinha, the approach offered useful lessons for Zimbabwe on how national development priorities can be translated into practical programmes at lower levels of government while allowing local authorities and provinces to contribute initiatives towards the broader national vision.

She said with the experience gained so far has also prompted the Zimbabwean delegation to reflect on Zimbabwe’s own development planning framework, she said, noting that the country similarly uses national development strategies to translate its broader vision into programmes implemented across different sectors and levels of government.

The Deputy Minister said the Chinese experience could therefore provide ideas on how Zimbabwe can strengthen the coordination, cascading and implementation of national development priorities in order to achieve tangible results for citizens.

“By observing China’s experience, senior public officials can gain ideas on how institutions can work together in implementing national development programmes and how long-term development objectives can be maintained through structured planning and coordinated implementation,” she said.

The Deputy Minister said the lessons were particularly relevant for senior public managers, who play a critical role in translating government policies and development priorities into programmes and services that benefit citizens.