Former president of Botswana Ian Khama has advised Zimbabwe to set up ‘independent entities that are responsible for procurement if the country is to leverage its diamonds and minerals for prosperity. Khama said that the President, ministers and senior civil servants should not be involved in the procurement process. Speaking at the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) annual congress in Bulawayo on Thursday, Khama said,

We have reinforced this through independent entities. We have also got an independent public procurement entity. In our country, no member of the Cabinet even the President make decisions on procurement. No permanent secretary can make a decision on procurement. Those decisions are made by an independent entity.

…It is so easy in a democracy to throw money at issues that are populist that at the end of the day come back to haunt you because you run out of budget. It is very important to resist the urge to do so and eventually over time you will be rewarded for doing the right thing.

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