Financially-crippled Zimbabwe, which is failing to service its US$280 million foreign debt to the World Bank, on Friday unsuccessfully begged the bank to resume assistance to Zimbabwe, especially in the agricultural sector where new farmers complain of lack of money and resources, The Standard has established. Official sources said Joseph Made, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, unsuccessfully pleaded with the World Bank country director for Central Africa, Hartwig Schafer, for financial assistance to buy farm equipment and inputs for the new farmers.
Schafer was in Zimbabwe as a follow-up to a visit by the RBZ Governor Gideon Gono to the World Bank offices in Washington where he appraised the bank of his efforts to sort out the current financial crisis. "He (Made) was begging the World Bank to assist the new farmers. Made said agriculture was the backbone of the economy of the country and without support from the World Bank it would not succeed," said a source familiar with proceedings at the meeting. "However, the World Bank told them that no funds would be forthcoming until they (government) settled their arrears," added the source. Schafer also met Gono, acting Finance Minister, Herbert Murerwa, and several permanent secretaries, in an effort to try and explore options to intensify dialogue and ways in which the crisis ridden Zimbabwean government could be assisted. Contacted for a comment, Schafer who was in Johannesburg on Friday, confirmed that he had met Made, Gono and other government officials but said the World Bank would only consider giving substantive financial assistance to Harare when Zimbabwe settles its debt. He said the international lending institution would, in the mean time, assist Zimbabwe with limited technical assistance. |