The Influence of Osborne Dam on the Socio–Economic Development of Ward 23 Makoni District, Zimbabwe

The study aimed at empirically investigating the influence of Osborne dam on the socio-economic development of ward 23, Makoni District. The research was carried out in three villages Kawadza, Nyatito and Dumba, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Questionnaire, interviews guide, focus group discussion (FGD) and an observation guide were used as research tools for data collection purposes from 72 households in three villages. Interview schedules were used to collect data from eight key informants. Simple random sampling was used to select the respondents and purposive sampling on the selection of key informants. The results showed that there was no positive relationship between nature and intensity of socio-economic development in relation to distance from the dam. It is also evident that the dam improved small-scale irrigation schemes, food productivity, fishing activities, easy access for domestic use, gardening, and the income of the local people. The socio-economic activities transformed the standards of living of the local people in Ward 23. However socio-economic gains from the dam did not outweigh the socio-economic negative impacts it imposed on the local people. Osborne dam socio-economic gains and benefits accrued more to non-locals and those downstream and at the expense of the local people despite the effect of distance from the dam. Locals had minimum usage of the resource despite of their closeness to the dam due to their poor socio-economic base, decreased water levels in the dam, management restrictions and financial constraints. In order to ensure that local people benefit from Osborne dam, the study suggested four main policy prescriptions