Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve in Victoria Falls
THE Second Republic is on a solid path to deliver real economic transformation that is inclusive and sustainable with wide-ranging Government reforms aimed at unlocking targeted investments to steer development.
Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa, said this while officiating at the 2025 Annual Conference of the Chartered Governance and Accountancy Institute in Zimbabwe (CGAIZ) in Victoria Falls on Thursday.
The conference is being held under the theme: “Inspire, Innovate, Sustain: Charting the Course for Zimbabwe’s Economic Rebound”, and has brought together governance and accountancy professionals, regulators and captains of industry to deliberate on the nation’s economic trajectory.
Minister Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe stands at a defining moment where collective innovation and discipline are crucial.
“This theme is timely. Zimbabwe stands at a defining moment where our resilience is being tested, but also where our collective innovation and discipline can set us on a firm path of recovery and growth,” she said in a speech read on her behalf by the chief director in her ministry, Engineer Francis Gondo.
“The Government, under the leadership of His Excellency President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, is fully committed to ensuring that this rebound is real, inclusive and sustainable.”
To achieve this, Sen Mutsvangwa outlined a multi-faceted approach centred on robust Public Financial Management (PFM) reforms, strategic national development plans, and a strong emphasis on empowering SMEs, women, and youth.
“We have rolled out wide-ranging Public Financial Management (PFM) reforms, strengthening accountability across ministries, departments, agencies and local authorities.
“These reforms are designed to plug leakages, enhance fiscal transparency and ensure that every cent of public resources benefits the people of Zimbabwe,” she said.
Sen Mutsvangwa linked these efforts to the broader national vision, explaining that through Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), the Government is modernising infrastructure, boosting agriculture and enhancing social services.
She cited the transformative impact of programmes like Pfumvudza/Intwasa on household food security and devolution funds for empowering local communities to build critical infrastructure.
Crucially, the minister highlighted that this growth model is intentionally designed to be inclusive, pointing to specific Government initiatives aimed at empowering key demographics.
“Through the Women’s Microfinance Bank and other empowerment funds, we are unlocking opportunities for women and youth to participate meaningfully in the economy,” she said.
“The SME Growth and Development Strategy recognises that small businesses are the lifeblood of our nation, employing over 60 percent of our people.
“We need your expertise as governance and accountancy professionals to provide the structures and accountability that will make them (SMEs)sustainable.”
On the global stage, Minister Mutsvangwa said that Zimbabwe’s adoption of the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards (S1 and S2) has placed the nation among the first in the world to commit to global sustainability reporting.
She described this as a clear signal to the international community of Zimbabwe’s seriousness about transparency and investment-readiness.
This is connected to the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which demands high standards of governance and financial discipline from Zimbabwean enterprises seeking to access the continental market.
“This is a golden opportunity for Zimbabwean entrepreneurs, but it demands that our enterprises meet high standards of governance, transparency, and financial discipline. Here again, I see a central role for the members of CGAIZ,” said the minister.
She framed the national effort as a collective partnership between the Government and key institutions.
“Government will continue to play its part, through reforms, investments and supportive policies but we count on partners such as CGAIZ to stand with us in building a stronger economy and a more accountable society,” Minister Mutsvangwa said.
She urged the delegates to be bold in its deliberations, practical in its resolutions, and united in its commitment to inspire, innovate and sustain, rallying the nation to collectively chart the course for a brighter economic future.
