Council unveils five-year plan

Sunday, 27 March 2011 23:50
Beitbridge Bureau
The Beitbridge Rural District Council has unveiled a five-year development plan that would see the local authority operating as a viable entity and improving service delivery systems by the year 2015.
The plan was unveiled last week during a quarterly review workshop at the council chambers.
In an interview Beitbridge RDC chief executive Mr Albert Mbedzi said the stra-tegic plan would see the district becoming a tourism hub.
He said in coming up with the plan, council had used a community-driven development approach that envisages crop irrigation, development of livestock sector, tourism and the commercial exploi-tation of natural resources as the key engines of economic growth in the district.
He said council would also consider the Millennium Development Goals which include improving accessibility of health service delivery, promoting tourism by way of conserving natural resources and providing quality education and reduction of poverty among other things.
Mr Mbedzi called on stakeholders to make effective implementation of the strategic plan as it would play a crucial part in national development.
"The basic theme of the strategy is creating a rural community that owns and runs a vibrant economy to achieve food security, meet its social needs and enhance household incomes.
"The strategic goals and the corresponding strategic objectives crafted were; to enhance agricultural production, value chain development and market access, to develop and promote tourism sector.
"Furthermore, we are looking at promoting and supporting the Small to Medium Enterprises and to provide appropriate infrastructure and quality social services to the community while strengthening local Government institutions from the district to the village levels.
"We also seek to strengthen partnerships with other private, public and civil organisations. Apart from that our aim is to develop integrated natural resources and land use management system and exploit opportunities in the mining sector by the year 2015," he said.
Mr Mbedzi said the plan also sought to mobilise financial resources and establish a participatory monitoring and evaluation system to enhance the implementation of activities programmed in the strategic plan by 2013.
"We are also calling on other concerned stakeholders to play their part towards the successful implementation strategic plan.
"As a local authority we are building this plan on the success of our 2006-2010 projects which was supported by the district's local economic development initiative.
"It is a reality that we should not just be ambitious but instead, we should mobilise funds to meet our set target," he said.

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