Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. OBSERVERS have called for the establishment of institutionalised and credible complaint resolution platforms to deal with recurring investor-community conflicts.
They said this in response to reports that a delegation from Zimbabwe is attending the ongoing regional Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) training workshop taking place in Arusha, Tanzania.
A GRM is a locally based, formalised way to accept, assess and resolve community complaints about projects with large numbers of beneficiaries or affected persons.
The workshop, organised by the World Bank, seeks to enhance accountability and strengthen citizen engagement in development projects across southern Africa.
“GRMs are no longer optional; they are essential for protecting vulnerable communities,” health and development policy expert Tinashe Mavunga said.
“We have seen in the past how lack of structured channels to raise concerns has led to tensions and mistrust between communities and project implementers.”
According to the World Bank, a GRM provides a space to resolve community concerns in a collaborative way.
It should offer an accessible point for complaints to be received and a predictable process and time-line for communities to obtain a response.
In Zimbabwe, there are several reports of mining investors clashing with local communities.
Social governance analyst Tariro Mhlanga said communities felt powerless when they were excluded from decision-making.
“By establishing clear, responsive GRM frameworks, the government can build more inclusive and participatory development processes,” Mhlanga said.
Topics being covered include complaint intake mechanisms, stakeholder engagement, monitoring and evaluation, and integrating feedback into project redesign.
According to the World Bank, the aim is to create practical and context-specific systems that ensure grievances are resolved fairly, promptly and transparently.
Zimbabwe is represented by a multi-sectoral team including officials from key ministries and agencies.
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