President Emmerson Mnangagwa has launched the National Disability Policy and the National Migration Policy, a move which the government hope, will ensure that Zimbabwe attain an upper middle in class economy by 2030.
The National Disability Policy will ensure that everyone is entitled equal opportunity to excel in their different institutions regardless of their physical, mental and social status as well as empower them to improve their own quality of life whilst the National Migration Policy will help improve the government’s system around labor migration as well as protect and empower Zimbabweans who work in foreign countries to contribute and participate into the social and economic development of Zimbabwe.
Speaking during the launch in Harare yesterday, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said people should now shift from portraying people with disability as useless citizens but rather take them as people who can work and transform Zimbabwe in all sectors of the economy.
“Let us shift from perceiving persons with disability as objects of charity, medical treatment and social protection but instead view a person with disability as capable of productively participating in the building of our great country Zimbabwe like any other citizen in the country,” he said.
The Zanu PF first secretary also added that Zimbabweans must end a system of selection and denying persons with disability fruitful opportunities in various business sectors, insisting that all those practices that suppress persons with disability must end immediately.
“Meanwhile harmful cultural practices discrimination, marginalization and exclusion of persons with disabilities should be brought to an end,” added Mnangagwa.
However, President Mnangagwa emphasised the importance of the Labor Migration Policy to Zimbabwe in this era where people conduct their businesses all around the world insisting that it was going to benefit the country’s economic growth because Zimbabwe have huge number of its citizens who work in foreign countries.
“In this era of increased human mobility dubbed a world on the move, the labor migration and sustainable development nexus is a topical issue hence migration is now intrinsically linked to the development potential of any country, more so in our case as considerable number of Zimbabweans live and work in the diaspora the launch of National Labor Migration is therefore quite favorable hence the policy will undoubtedly help improve the government systems around labor migration as well as protect and empower the migrant workers to contribute and participate into social and economic development,” added Mnangagwa.
Meanwhile, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga who is also the Minister of Health and Child Care added that all humanity were created equal despite of social, economic, physical or political differences hence everyone including the disabled persons should contribute positively to the economic development of the country.
“We were created equal in the image of the almighty God and the president ensures that no Zimbabwean citizen should be treated as second class in this country, everyone should be accorded equal opportunities to excel in their areas of endeavor regardless of their physical, mental and social status,” added Mnangagwa.
President Emmeson Mnangagwa was also accompanied by the Minister of Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare Hon Paul Mavhima, United Nations Resident Coordinator Ms Maria Ribeiro and Special Advisor on Disability Issues in the Office of the President and Cabinet Hon J. Malinga.
