ZANU PF Harare women’s league chairperson Betty Nhambu-Kaseke yesterday said there was need for the church to be fully incorporated into the National Development Strategy (NDS1) launched by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday. BY WINSTONE ANTONIO The NDS1, Mnangagwa said, was premised on policy and institutional reforms needed from 2021-2025 to achieve an upper middle-income economy under Vision 2030. Nhambu-Kaseke said as the women’s league, they had embarked on a crusade to intensify awareness on the NDS1 from the grassroots level in different communities. She made the remarks at a church conference organised by the Zimbabwe Pastors Round Table Fellowship Women’s Affairs led by Taurai Cheuka in Chitungwiza yesterday. “The women’s league saw it fit to empower the grassroots with the knowledge required towards the economic empowerment strategy of the nation as outlined by President Mnangagwa in his address on Monday,” she said. “The ruling party has pledged to work with the church and various community stakeholders to advance the national development agenda through community engagement and inclusive participation. This will foster ways of empowering women in communities and their inclusion in the economic development spectrum.” Nhambu-Kaseke said a lot of the projects needed financial support and capacity building. “Even in post-independent Zimbabwe, Zanu PF has continued to work hand-in-glove with the church and we shall continue to do so. I am happy with the projects that I have witnessed here, this shows that the church fully supports the President’s developmental vision,” she said. “The Harare province women’s league is doing outreach programmes all over Harare as part of a restructuring and mobilisation exercise. “The women’s league is involved in fish farming, township agriculture under the Pfumvudza scheme and command bakery projects which the church community is ready to start soon after registration.” Cheuka said the church was in full support of government’s developmental programmes including the NDS1. Female pastors, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders who are into poultry, detergents making, herbal gardening, perfume making and fashion designing exhibited some of their products at the event. They called on government to provide financial support for women to embark on profitable developmental start-up projects. The event was also graced by representatives from the Women’s Bank who took time to apprise the women about various projects funded by the bank. Follow Winstone on Twitter @widzoanto