Staff Writer
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Amon Murwira has urged Zimbabweans to have confidence in their own abilities, look to the future rather than the past and contribute as part of a team to improving the country’s resources.
He was speaking at the signing Monday of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Chartered Governance and Accountancy Institute in Zimbabwe (CGIZ), the African Professionalisation Initiative (API) and the Management Training Bureau for the professionalisation of the public sector in Zimbabwe.
Earlier API head Evans Mulera had said that Zimbabwe was a shining light on the African Continent. It had invested heavily in education and was highly respected for the high quality of professionals it produced.
Public Accountants and Auditors Board Chief Executive Admire Ndurunduru pointed out how public sector finances affect everyone. He appealed for action to follow the commitments made in the MOU.
He said that, while it had been pointed out that Zimbabwe had invested heavily in education, educated Zimbabweans were running down the country.
Professor Murwira, in his keynote address, also stressed the importance of action and of action as part of a team.
“We have brilliant people. Why is it we have not done as well as we would want to?” he asked.
The answer, he said, was that people had not been networked. They were working as individuals rather than as members of a team.
“It’s not about number one. The strength of networking is important,” he said.
He criticised those who looked back nostalgically on the past rather than looking to the future.
“Let’s talk future. Let’s not be nostalgic. Let’s be futuristic,” he said. He pointed out that what was gone, was gone. Time was moving forward. It was the future people should concentrate on. Instead of moaning on social media, people should look to the future and participate in carrying the country forward.
They should have confidence in their own capabilities and respect those of others. When they failed they should be encouraged rather than criticised. There was no harm in trying. If success did not come immediately, gradually improvements would be made. They should have respect for their heritage.
“Build your own country. Sometimes people go off on a tangent. Who do you want to build your country?” he asked, adding that the resources the country had belonged to them.
“It is an effect of colonisation that tells people they have to get things from elsewhere,” he said.
CGIZ chief executive Lovemore Gomera highlighted the training his institute is providing for the public sector. He said CGIZ was working with universities and partnering, among others, the Corporate Governance Unit in the Office of the President and Cabinet and the Deposit Protection Corporation.
In addition to its Chartered Governance Professional/Corporate Secretarial Practice qualification and its Chartered Governance Professional Accountant qualification, it offered a Public Sector Accounting qualification, Business and Accounting Studies qualification, Diploma in Forensic Accounting qualification and Governance, Risk and Compliance qualification.
Management Training Bureau executive director Nelson Maseko said there was the potential for the partnership between the bureau, API and CGIZ to be extended to other African countries.
Mr Ndurunduru emphasised the importance of those who obtained degrees in accountancy training as professionals under professional bodies such as CGIZ. He said there were eight professional accountancy bodies in Zimbabwe.
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