Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) president, Tamuka Macheka last week said that Zimbabwe needs to increase infrastructural expenditure to a minimum of 3% targeting for 5% as the nation lags behind in development during the National Public Procurement Conference in Harare.
The ZNCC boss, who was speaking on Enhancing the Effectiveness of Public Expenditure for Socio-Economic Growth, added that the expenditure on infrastructure is too little considering where Zimbabwe is coming from.
“Other countries right now, they have pegged infrastructure allocation at 7% Zimbabwe has pegged infrastructure allocation at 1% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product),” Macheka said.
“So before we say anything, Zimbabwe is lagging behind. Unless you get miracle infrastructure you are going to remain behind.”
The ZNCC boss explained that infrastructure expenditure was being shared out of the capital expenditure of $2 billion that is left after employment costs and therefore too little.
“If you look at our total expenditure for 2019, it’s projected at around $8 billion and out of that, employment costs will take about $ 4 billion (15%) and what sort of infrastructure will expenditure on employment creat,” Macheka went on.
“The first thing is that we must quickly address that (infrastructure expenditure) to move forward and catch up with other countries that we are competing with.”
Zimbabwe is currently facing challenges of infrastructure development and the former Harare Mayor revealed that the capital city is 30 years in terms of infrastructural deficit.
Besides infrastructural development, the ZNCC leader also raised the issue of patriotism and said that being patriotic is implementing policies.
“There is a serious departure from patriotism as far as Zimbabweans are concerned,” Macheka said.
“Zimbabweans are very good, excel at lying at each other when it comes to issues and matters of national interests and that is a very good ingredient and a recipe for national distraction.”
“When we gather, we must tell each other the truth regardless of how we anybody feels afterwards but when we leave a room… we must go and implement the decisions as if they were our own.”