WE, in the village, take pride in the fruits of our labour. It is imperative that as a people, we all read from the same page so that the nation can enjoy the fruits of the labour of its people. It is time we all appreciated that the destiny of Zimbabwe is now fi rmly in the hands of its own people. We must cast away the illusions of dependency, discard the remnants of colonial mentality and embrace the boundless opportunities that surround us. For too long, we were conditioned to believe that our salvation would come from foreign lands, that the architects of our future would emerge from distant shores. But the time of waiting is over.

The era of self-determination is upon us. In Zimbabwe today, everyone can and should be an entrepreneur. The future belongs to those who hunt for opportunities. Our environment is primed for entrepreneurship, our people prepared by the struggles we have endured. Each war we have fought and emerged victorious from has not only strengthened us but has reinforced the truth that we, as a people, can achieve anything we set our minds to.

The First Chimurenga and the Second Chimurenga, the Land Reform and Resettlement Programme, and the indigenisation of the economy — these were not just historical events. They were preparatory stages, each a stepping stone toward the full realisation of our economic sovereignty. The question before us is no longer one of survival, but of growth, of expansion of ambition. Zimbabwe no longer waits for the white man to come from the West with solutions to our problems. That chapter is closed. The new reality is this: Our success hinges on the realisation that the only missing piece to our progress is the active participation of each and every Zimbabwean.

The only ingredient lacking in our national prosperity is the belief that I, as an individual, am the critical link in the chain of our collective success. This is not the time for division. This is not the time for internal confl icts and pulling in diff erent directions. The challenges facing our generation are diff erent from those of our forebears. Where they fought for the land, we must fi ght for economic empowerment. Where they sought to liberate Zimbabwe from colonial rule, we must liberate ourselves from economic stagnation.

The struggle has shifted, and so too must our focus. We are no longer in an era of job-seeking; we are in an era of wealth creation. And the only way to ensure that Zimbabwe prospers is to stand together, to move as one and to align our eff orts toward a common goal. Zimbabwe needs you. It needs me. It needs all of us. The world does not owe us anything. If we are to become the great nation we are destined to be, we must understand that no one will come to do the work for us. The most successful nations on earth were built not by outsiders, but by their own people, who took charge of their own destinies. Zimbabwe is no diff erent. We are standing at the precipice of something remarkable. The only thing that can hold us back is disunity, the refusal to read from the same page, the failure to recognise that we rise or fall together. The economy of Zimbabwe has undergone a seismic shift.

The biggest programmes in our history, the wars of liberation, the Land Reform Programme, and the indigenisation of the economy, have necessitated the creation of a new economy, an indigenous economy, an economy built by Zimbabweans for Zimbabweans. This new reality demands a shift in mindset. No longer can we operate with the old business-as-usual approach. No longer can we sit back and hope that someone else will fi x what needs to be fi xed. The time for excuses is over. It is imperative that we all be on the same page. It is essential that we do not succumb to the narrative that we are victims of forces beyond our control. It is true that we face challenges. But every great nation has faced challenges.

What separates the successful from the unsuccessful is the ability to adapt, to evolve, and to seize opportunities in the midst of adversity. We cannot aff ord to wallow in self-pity. We cannot aff ord to continue mourning, crying foul, and blaming others. The only way forward is to take ownership of our future. There are no excuses for failure. We have within us everything we need to succeed. We are a nation of problem-solvers, of innovators, of creators. We must understand that prosperity is not an event; it is a process, a series of deliberate actions taken by those who refuse to accept mediocrity. The future is not something we wait for; it is something we create. We must embrace the entrepreneurial spirit, seek opportunities where others see obstacles, and understand that wealth is not something handed to us, it is something we generate. Our nation has been through the wringer, but we have emerged stronger.

Now is the time to leverage that strength, to channel it towards economic empowerment, and to ensure that the Zimbabwe we leave for future generations is a Zimbabwe of opportunity, of prosperity, of unity. There is a world of possibilities before us, but we must seize them together. We cannot aff ord to work at cross-purposes, to undermine each other, to sabotage our own progress. The greatest nations in the world were built by people who understood the power of unity.

Zimbabwe can be no diff erent. The time has come for us to embrace a singular vision, to walk in step, and to understand that our fates are intertwined. We must all read from the same page. We must recognise that Zimbabwe’s future is in our hands. We must understand that success is not reserved for a select few, it is within reach for all who are willing to work for it. The path has been laid out before us, the opportunities are there for the taking. The only question that remains is whether we will rise to the occasion. Let us step into the greatness that is ours for the taking. Let us read from the same page, move as one, and build the nation we know we are capable of building.

Businessman Tawanda Chenana is also a philanthropist and Secretary for Lands for ZANU PF Mashonaland East Province.