The Seven Keys to Zimbabwe’s Economic Salvation: Part One: Strategic Analysis of the Economic Situation

Around 2000, Zimbabwe descended into a big economic abyss. Twenty two years later, the country is still struggling to find a fast and sustainable pathway from the abyss. Tons of effort being invested are producing mixed results; massive accumulation of riches and high living standards for some and a serious strife and struggle for others.

Disagreements on the state of the economy and its current trajectory

In assessing the economic situation, the nation never agrees; some argue that the country is recovering while others say the economic is getting worse while still others affirm that that “we are going nowhere.”?This very fact of lack of a common assessment of the performance of the economic is part of the problem because, in reality, the economy can only be in one state or another and it must have a specific trajectory towards either growth and destiny or towards gloom and doom.?Some argue that the “economic numbers and statistics” are the best indicators of the state of the economy and its trajectory while others argue that the state of the economy is known by what the common people feel and experience in their everyday life.

The problem is that where there is no consensus on the economic situation and the trajectory, there is no coherent positive action. It is very difficult to bring together people who think that the economy is in a bad state and is getting worse and those who think that the economy is in a great shape and heading towards a destiny of glory, growth and prosperity and make them invest in a collect economic effort. Lost of time and energy are then invested in arguments and counter arguments about the state of the economy and no much energy and time is left on real mental and physical economy work. This is typical economic Tower of Babel scenario.

The Perceived Meaning of Economic Collapse

At deep personal levels, most if not all Zimbabweans, including those who might be doing well personally perceive that the economy is not it its best state has not been for a very long time. They know the economy is facing a myriad of challenges and one would argue that it is largely in a “survival mode.” There is something interesting about how human beings think about the economy. Some think economic collapse means a complete shut-down of the economy. This is a mistaken perception because whenever there are people an economy cannot possibly experience a complete shutdown. Therefore economic collapse is not the same as the collapse of a tall building pulverized by a hurricane or cyclone or typhoon or a missile. An economy collapses and continues to operate. An economic collapse predominantly means the systems that drive economic sustainability, effectiveness and efficiency have been compromised and even collapsed to some degree. These systems include systems for the production and distribution of goods and services.

The Struggle to Escape the Economic Past

There is an argument that obsession with the past is the enemy of the future. This is so very true when it comes to dealing with a struggling economy. Zimbabwe’s economy, for example, was once agro-based where agriculture was regarded as the country’s economic back bone. Most of the industry was built around agriculture. While Zimbabwe has good climatic conditions for agriculture and agriculture can contribute greatly to the economy, to keep trying to reconstruct the economy around agriculture is probably questionable. There is no law or science in the argument that Zimbabwe’s economy must be agro-based or else… In fact, I am not one of those who believe that environmental endowments and natural resources are the backbone of any economy. People and their mental resources are the true backbone of every economy. People without natural resources can build a great economy while a country with vast natural resources can struggle while sitting on the resources if the people are underutilized. This is there for everyone to see. How many countries in Africa with vast natural resources are languishing economically while countries with less resources are achieving unbelievable economic success? Think of the likes of Singapore, South Korea, Japan and others.

Trying to recreate the economic past is very expensive. Instead Zimbabwe must focus on building a brand new modern economy not even thinking about using the same economic backbone but a different one. And with climate change, does it make sense to try to rebuild the economy on agriculture. And it is important to focus on the argument and not to misinterpret it. I am not advocating for a cessation of agricultural production or agricultural economic activity. I am saying let’s think of a different backbone and also build a new economy and not try to recreate economic bygones in the form of economic resurrection.?We must focus on economic newcreation instead of on economic recreation. We must think about economic newconstruction instead of economic recreation.

Doing Away With the Pick and Drop Syndrome

?In Zimbabwe, we are notorious for pick and drop habit. We hold economic conferences, develop economic blue prints and plans and embark on economic initiatives and then we drop them before far and hope onto other initiatives. We are masters at launching otherwise very high sounding initiatives but then forget them as soon as the launching ceremonies are over. Our economic battlefield is littered with fallen project heroes that we launched but were quickly felled down by lack of follow through. There is never any review of these new economic initiatives to establish their progress and if no progress why there is lack of progress and how to trigger the progress.

Unless we learn to follow through with our economic initiatives and especially our plans and blue prints, we will go deep into the twenty first century without making any serious economic progress. We must terminate initiate, plan launch and drop loop and follow through on any new economic initiatives. We must start what we finish and finish what we start.

It’s the People. Period

Economic problems are not solved by plans or natural resources but by people. If people factor is not addressed there is not economic salvation. The people factor means a unity of purpose by Zimbabweans and also the deployment of the right people in the right positions and for the right reasons. Underutilisation of people is a major perpetuator of Zimbabwe’s economic situations. Unemployment is not just a problem to be the people who are not employed; it is actually a perpetuator and worsener of economic problems because it is underutilization of people’s potential and resources. More employed people means more economic activity and more economic output? Is that not so?

One Economy, One Economic Organisation, Synchronised Economic Effort

A fully functional economy is a system. The system is built on syncronised thinking and integrated economic planning and implementation. This means thinking in terms of one economy one economic organization and synchronized economic effort. This also means no separation from state and non-state in terms of economic planning and management. Strategic economic planning is the means by which the country can achieve this status of one economy, one economic organization and synchronized economic effort. Thus the strategic architecture of an economy is extremely important and must be determined.

To be continued

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?Simon Bere, 2022