Source: We all have duty to deliver, says President – herald
Zvamaida Murwira-Senior Reporter
THE signing of performance contracts by Government ministries, departments and agencies represents a binding obligation to deliver impactful services to ordinary Zimbabweans through accountable, excellent and results-oriented leadership, President Mnangagwa said yesterday.
Delivering his keynote address at the 2025 performance evaluation results and 2026 contract signing ceremony for senior public officials in Harare, the President underscored the Government’s commitment to improving citizens’ lives through efficient service delivery.
The performance contract framework represents one of the Second Republic’s most significant public sector reforms, introduced by President Mnangagwa in 2021 to revolutionise service delivery and entrench a culture of accountability across Government.
Under the system, senior Government officials, including ministers, permanent secretaries and heads of State enterprises, are required to sign annual contracts that outline specific, measurable targets they must achieve in their portfolios.
The President said his administration will remain duty-bound to deliver quality service to the people.
“As Government, we all have a duty to implement, deliver and impact the lives and livelihoods of our fellow citizens. I am pleased that the public sector in general is showing higher levels of patriotism, servant leadership, hard, honest work, unity of purpose, professionalism and selfless service for the benefit of all our communities,” said President Mnangagwa.
“Todays Performance Contract Signature ceremony represents new obligations to ensure accountability, excellence and results-oriented leadership. As we append signatures to the performance contracts, let us always remember the ordinary citizens of our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe, whom we must serve wholeheartedly.”
President Mnangagwa signs the performance contract for Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Deputy Minister Kudakwashe David Mnangagwa in Harare yesterday. – Pictures: Believe Nyakudjara
He said the ceremony was a key milestone in the Government’s public administrative and governance journey, reflecting unwavering commitment and resilience in delivering public services with efficiency in the march towards the realisation of Vision 2030.
“Over the past years, we have collectively scaled up the institutionalisation of public sector reform measures, including performance contracting. These have seen the revamping of systems and processes within our institutions, making them more adaptive, which is essential for citizen satisfaction, confidence and trust,” said President Mnangagwa.
“This year’s Performance Contract Signing Ceremony is of critical importance, coming against the commencement of the National Development Strategy 2 implementation period. The principles of Managing for Sustainable Development Results continue to anchor the systematic and successful rollout of our policies, programmes and projects. This demands focus, resolve and persistence.”
He said it was encouraging that ministries, departments and agencies developed new 5-Year Strategic Plans that were fully aligned to the NDS-2, from which the 2026 Annual Strategic Plans and Performance Contracts were crafted.
“Administrative processes of this nature highlight the shared obligation to duty, productivity and service delivery by the entire Government. I am, therefore, optimistic that you, our public sector officials signing performance contracts today (yesterday), have an in-depth appreciation of the results and impacts expected of you and the divisions you lead. I congratulate us all, for the milestone achievements we have realised as a country, which were acknowledged during the recently held 35th Summit of the African Peer Review Mechanism Forum of Heads of State and Government,” said President Mnangagwa.
“This is evident in agriculture, mining, infrastructure development, social services sectors, as well as in environment and climate mitigation measures, among other aspects. National values of unity, peace and security in our country are being strengthened. It is my expectation that under the National Development Strategy 2, greater growth and prosperity will be achieved to improve the quality of life of our people,” he said.
“Among key areas, Zimbabwe’s performance contracting system was recognised as one of the commendable practices for economic governance, which is entrenching a results-oriented culture in the public sector. Well done. Makorokoto, Amhlophe.”
He said it was commendable that the progress registered to date was partly due to the transformative results-based governance culture conceived by the Second Republic.
“This is evident in agriculture, mining, infrastructure development, social services sectors, as well as in environment and climate mitigation measures, among other aspects. National values of unity, peace and security in our country are being strengthened. It is my expectation that under the National Development Strategy 2, greater growth and prosperity will be achieved to improve the quality of life of our people,” he said.
“To do so, I challenge the public sector to continuously improve performance through blending contemporary governance frameworks with our indigenous knowledge systems and emerge with new models of governance excellence.”
President Mnangagwa said the recently signed Agreement with the Government of the United Arab Emirates, on the Global Experiences Exchange Programme, will go a long way to transform the country’s public administration, riding on digital information.
“In view of this development, I urge the responsible Government departments to accelerate the automation of the performance contracting system. This must ultimately fortify our management system and citizen interface for regular reviews and feedback. The provision of services and decision on a real-time basis remains a priority,” said President Mnangagwa.
“On its part, my Administration will continue to put in place other e-government enterprise requirements. These include the ICT backbone infrastructure, bandwidth expansion, enhanced connectivity, the procurement of tools of trade, as well as the facilitation of training and deployment of requisite skills. The use of digital systems will also allow us to embrace Artificial Intelligence, among other contemporary technologies”.
He said the journey of the country’s public sector reforms required the continuous realignment of legal instruments.
“These should help to improve reporting and public disclosure of performance results, as well as eliminate corruption, negligence and poor service delivery. Government stands ready to ensure that performance contracting is broadened to cater for the different levels and grades in the public sector. This will, however, require more skills and capacities in Results-Based Management,” he said.
“In this respect, the Public Service Commission, through its academies across the country, is called upon to build a wider skills base. Meanwhile, I am aware of the performance management gaps in local authorities. Hence, to complement the innovative minimum service delivery standards, additional reform measures are necessary to address the concerns of our grassroots communities.”
President Mnangagwa also emphasised the supremacy of the ruling Zanu PF over the Government.
“The policies, programmes and projects, as well as strategy documents we implement, as Government officials, are a direct result of party resolutions, decisions and directives. The nation, through the party, expects efficiency, transparency and quality service as well as transformative results. Together, we must deliver. We must never fail our nation,” he said.
“Let us all, therefore, implement, deliver and ultimately impact the economy and livelihoods of our communities. No one and no place must be left behind. Nyika inovakwa,inotongwa, inonamatirwa nevene vayo, ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhulekelwe ngabanikazi balo.”
The event saw Cabinet ministers, their deputies, permanent secretaries, heads of State entities and local authorities signing performance contracts. President Mnangagwa also conferred awards to the best performers in terms of service delivery.
In attendance were the two Vice Presidents, Dr Constantino Chiwenga and Dr Kembo Mohadi, Cabinet ministers and heads of State entities, among others.
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