Staff Reporter

The Mutoko Royal Fruit and Vegetable Processing Hub and Empowerbank’s Youth Business Starter pack launched by President Mnangagwa yesterday are part of Government’s broad measures targeted at speeding up rural development and as well discouraging rural urban migration.

This was announced by President Mnangagwa during his address at the official launch.

This is in line with the devolution process by the New Dispensation which is aimed at empowering provincial government councils to spearhead economic and social development projects in their areas by leveraging local resources. 

“In the past, every child in the rural areas would aspire to go to Harare or urban areas. We want to remove that mind-set. We need people to work from their localities. This is rural development. That is the objective we have as the Second Republic,” President Mnangagwa said.

Being a horticulture district Mutoko is full of vegetable and fruits which are mostly supplied to the Harare market. The Processing plant is now going to benefit the community by boosting the economy and creating employment opportunities. 

Among other ways of curbing rural to urban migration the New Dispensation is also working on electrifying rural areas to ensure every household, school and business are electrified in order to improve the quality of lives in rural areas. To bridge the rural-urban digital divide Government is also working on providing Information Communication Technology (ICT) in marginalised communities to promote development.