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What Can Local Authorities Do About Youth (Un)Employment?

In this sequel to “Next Generation Report 2020 – What Can Local Authorities Do?” we continue with an analysis of how our local authorities can play critical roles in assisting the young people of Zimbabwe with regards to the socio economic challenges that they face. The New Generation report touched on Employment, which is the focus of this article. Issues raised in the report 1.        High levels of unemployment 2.        Growth of the informal sector in the past 10 years 3.        Limited capacity   in the country to absorb new entrants in the job market 4.        The country has failed to create an enabling environment for enterprises to thrive and create jobs 5.        The country has experienced persistent deindustrialisation and the informalisation of the economy 6.        24% of young people in formal employment, 35% in informal employment, 41% dependent 7.        Unemployment more prevalent amongst the female youth 8.        Opportunities to earn a li
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Next Generation Report 2020. – What Can Local Authorities Do?

In the forewords to this report, the Country Director of British Council, Mr Roland Davies highlighted that young people are not expecting hand outs; they are resilient and determined. They are prepared to be entrepreneurs. He then posed the question – How do institutions of the state and the business sector help make this happen? This is a pertinent question indeed; and it is a valid expectation that institutions of the state should play a pivotal role in ensuring that a conducive environment is created for young people to reach their fullest potential. Our local authorities, being the lowest level of government, are best positioned to ensure that such an environment is created, an environment that will provide entrepreneurial space to the young people of Zimbabwe. The report gave an overview of the Education pillar as it relates to young people in Zimbabwe.   Among other things, the report highlighted that 94% of Zimbabweans above 15 years are literate, and that the major
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MyCity Conversations

Cities come in different shapes and sizes. What kind of city do YOU want? Reply in the comments section. Follow #MyCityConv discussions on twitter @municipalreview or @bukhosim and remember the hashtag #MyCityConv
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Lobby Blog Zim Work Shop

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Local Government Audit Review

First Published in my LinkedIn Account on 15 November 2018. I have gone through the Audit Reports tabled before the Parliament of Zimbabwe by the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG).  An effective public sector audit activity strengthens governance by materially increasing citizens’ ability to hold their government accountable. Auditors perform an especially important function in those aspects of governance that are crucial in the public sector for promoting credibility, equity, and appropriate behavior of government officials. Because government’s success is measured primarily by its ability to deliver services successfully and carry out programs in an equitable and appropriate manner, government audit activities should have the authority and the competency to evaluate financial and program integrity, effectiveness, and efficiency. Moreover, auditors must also protect the core values of the government, as it serves all citizens ( http://agendasonline.greatersudbury.ca/index.cfm?pg=
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Auditor General’s Report on State Parastatals (2016) – An Independent Analysis

First published in my LinkedIn Account on Nov 08, 2018. In July 2017, the Office of the Auditor General tabled before parliament the audit reports of 244 financial statements from 78 public entities, with some having as much as four financial statements being audited in one year. With 218 auditors employed in the OAG (http://www.auditorgeneral.gov.zw/index.php/about-us/staff), this means that each auditor had an average of only one audit client for the entire year. International standards would probably have a maximum of three months for one audit. This translates to an expected minimum of four audits per auditor per year. However, we know that 106 financial statements were being audited from 89 entities by the end of 2016. Assuming these had been completed too, the total number of financial statements reported would have been 350. This translates to 1.6 reports per auditor per year, and that still falls below the expected output per auditor annually. During 2016, two entities wer
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2019 and Local Government In Zimbabwe

I first published this article in my LinkedIn Account on the 1st of January 2019. 2018 has come and gone and the rhetoric question is - are we better off now than when 2018 started? In the sphere of local governance, 2018 was a difficult year, as most local authorities reviewed by TMR® cited financial challenges owing to reduced income and increasing operational expenditure. A good number had statutory debts. Some local authorities, particularly RDCs, failed to pay full salaries to staff. Externally, the Office of the Auditor General issued several damning reports, casting a shadow on institutions that were expected to shine, more so after the promulgation of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act of 2018. Even as local authorities continued to work together as organisations, as witnessed by the formation of their umbrella body ZILGA in July 2018, accountability to stakeholders remained elusive as service delivery was compromised, partly because of councils’ failure to live
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