President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said he is excited by the return of skilled Zimbabweans who went abroad to seek economic refuge in other countries on different occasions since the turn of the millennium.
He said their exposure to more economically advanced countries will be significant to Zimbabwe which he said has embarked on a major construction drive evident in the construction boom across the country.
President Mnangagwa made the remarks in this week’s article of his column in The Sunday Mail.
He also said the country’s economic growth had spurred heightened construction activity. Mnangagwa said:
Even factories — which the economic downturn had reduced to a tumble-down, derelict state — are now undergoing renovation or getting replaced by entirely new, modern structures which are second to none.
Even more pronounced has been private constructions, especially residential. Zimbabweans, including those in the diaspora, have been building homes of all sizes: from start-ups to family homes and even mansions.
This trend reflects in the rural sector, at growth points especially, where modern, upmarket structures are changing the rural landscape.
This, he said, underlines the fact that the rural-urban nexus is now reciprocal and mutually reinforcing.
President Mnangagwa added that the return of skilled Zimbabweans is exciting since it coincides with the growth in the construction industry. He added:
Thankfully, our tertiary institutions now have the capacity to deliver these specialised skills to the construction industry, thus taking it to a higher level.
I am also happy that more such skills are repatriating themselves back home after years of invaluable exposure in more advanced jurisdictions.
The president said a number of initiatives are required if the economy is to profit from bigger multipliers. He said these measures include:
i). the need to control inflation,
ii). incorporate new technology,
iii). tame unofficial settlements,
iv). provide basic amenities,
v). densification of settlements and
vi). provision of social amenities for rural settlements.
He also emphasised the need to insure rural homes against risks and provide mortgages suitable for all.
Thousands of Zimbabweans are set to come back home in June from South Africa when their Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEPs) expire.