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| Newspaper Clip from Financial Gazette April 5 - 12, 2012 |
As the long Easter holiday comes to an end hopefully we are more rejuvenated and ready for the second quarter of the year; public listed companies have presented their 2011 annual report to stakeholders against the backdrop of a tough capital markets FQ performance for the banking sector still promising growth to investors. Whilst the banking sector promises hope in the restoring investor confidence in the market, we were also reminded by the Harare City Library Fundraiser Gala Dinner hosted at the Honourable, British Ambassador Deborah Bronnert (in photo) at her lovely home in Harare.
I had the honor of being the guest at the table of a lawyer, award-winning Zimbabwean author and Chairman of Harare City Library, Dr. Petina Gappah, (PhD). Dr. Gappah gave a keynote address that explained the history of the Harare City Library, back when it was Queen Victoria Memorial Library and how it played a critical role in shaping her personal development and her love for books. She also has been exceptionally proactive in obtaining funding for the Harare City Library which has not been subsidized by government for just little over a decade. It is so inspiring to see Dr. Gappah deliver both a tastefully candid and humble appeal to the importance of rehabilitating such pinnacle historical indigenous knowledge systems. It is important to take a moment at least once a month and celebrate Goodwill Ambassadors like Dr. Gappah who continue to make a literary difference in the ordinary lives of children and youth in Zimbabwe.
When she described how she was able to read 200 Enid Blytons in a year some of us were able to relate to the extent of the abundance of literary resources that we all had the privilege of being born into. As we approach the 32 years of Independence in the week to come, it is important for each of us to reflect what individual contributions we have made in Zimbabwe, no matter how small or large. We all have a part to play. Though governments largely are responsible for the markets and societies that they create for their citizens; we can no longer continue to let our mouths run the show; inevitably giving wings to the arm-chair politician syndrome but instead let our hands and/or feet do the deeds. From a private sector development point of view this means continuing to create employment, investing in infrastructure development through private-public-partnership (PPP) and continuing to be the positive leaders that all our civil servants from all levels have either seem to have forgotten or are overwhelmed and burdened by a dysfunctional governance structure. That is why, it is always exciting times in Zimbabwe to see the passion and persistence of local private sector business owners striving and enriching the lives of Zimbabweans through their professions. Those still suffering from the when-we’s syndrome are missing out on the journey and vision established by one of the movers and shakers of the private sector, Mr. Farai Mutambanengwe, the founding Chairman of the SME Association of Zimbabwe and Managing Director of Adway Financial Services (Pvt) Ltd. In his latest article, From planners to implementers, this week’s Financial Gazette, Mr. Mutambanengwe challenges the economic trio: Government, Businesses and Society via four key points: 1) align strategy to specific tasks and resources 2) cost competitiveness or also better known as the import-export dilemma in business 3) Public sector performance management and/or monitoring and evaluation and finally 4) misallocation of talent and skills in sectors (a micro-economic model). Without delving into the details of the article, let’s just focus on the last point, when he aptly points out: “We have a country in which doctors are running farms, lawyers oversee finance, accountants are in-charge of providing energy, Zimbabwe Junior Certificate graduates are overseeing municipalities and the engineers are just nowhere to be seen!” Mr. Mutambanengwe reminds us of the stark reality that Zimbabwe has found herself in. In essence, the message is we are mostly educated but allocating that intellectual investment in the right areas of the country seems to be a major area of concern. This is further compounded by a recent research conducted by Chingarande and Guduza (2012) who identify that the main causes of unemployment and underemployed/misemployment as per the case above, there is an “incompatibility between the curriculum and the needs of the industry in changing times, “ (Anthony Jongwe, Financial Gazette, April 5-12, 2012 Issue).
It always amazes me when I meet those who benefitted tremendously from scholarships of the highest standards at the University of Zimbabwe in the early days, have rarely done anything meaningful in giving back to the academic institution that allowed them to gain access to a quality of life that they seem to continuously languish in. Are we a nation of self-centered individuals that we can no longer see the value and the benefits in enriching each other’s lives in a way that make us rise out of our very own poverty-bounded mindsets?
As we celebrate our Independence on the 18 April, 2012 let us all take a bit of introspection into our roles that we have set for ourselves either as caregivers, business leaders, captains of industry, Civil Servants etc., and ask yourselves, what individual contribution have I made as a Zimbabwean Citizen!
Copyright @ April 11, 2012. This article was first published online on Hello Harare magazine on April 11, 2012. BlogSpot by Tambu Ndoro, Strategist at Hanga Consulting and Principal Director of Ndoro Resources (PVT) Ltd, ©2011. www.hangaconsulting.com. Tambu is also a member of Research and Development Committee of SME Association of Zimbabwe ©2011
