NCC rolls out nationwide local authorities competitiveness survey

THE National Competitiveness Commission (NCC), in partnership with the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) will in July conduct a nationwide survey to measure and benchmark the competitiveness of all local authorities as part of efforts to improve service delivery, attract investment and promote local economic development.

The 2026 Rural and Urban Councils’ Competitiveness Index (RUCCI) survey will run from July 3 to July 26 and cover all 92 local authorities across Zimbabwe.
In a statement on Monday, the NCC said the exercise builds on lessons drawn from the 2025 pilot programme and incorporates contributions from the Ministries of Local Government and Public Works as well as Industry and Commerce in refining the survey methodology and instruments.

“RUCCI is a pioneer initiative designed to measure, benchmark and improve the competitiveness of local authorities,” said the NCC.
“Businesses operate within local authority jurisdictions, and their business environment significantly influences investment decisions, enterprise growth, job creation and economic transformation.”
The commission said the survey is intended to generate objective performance indicators that will help councils identify areas requiring improvement and implement reforms that enhance service delivery for both residents and businesses.

The initiative comes at a time when Government is intensifying efforts to improve the ease of doing business and strengthen local governance systems as part of broader economic transformation and development objectives.
“These experiences demonstrate that competitive local authorities are engines of economic growth, hence play a critical role in creating conducive environments for businesses, investment, innovation and improved quality of life,” the commission said.
The survey will evaluate local authorities across six key competitiveness pillars — governance efficiency, economic dynamism, infrastructure, innovativeness, resilience, and smartness and cleanliness.

To ensure comprehensive and credible results, data collection will combine scientifically designed stakeholder surveys with administrative data sourced from multiple institutions.
The NCC said the findings would provide valuable evidence to support policy reforms aimed at improving municipal services, lowering the cost of doing business and enhancing investment promotion efforts at local level.
The survey will also complement the recently launched Citizens Engagement Scoring Platform, which captures residents’ perceptions and experiences regarding local governance and municipal service delivery.
Importantly, RUCCI is set to become an annual assessment tool, enabling councils to track progress over time while providing Government and stakeholders with measurable indicators of local governance performance.

Annual rankings and scorecards are expected to assist local authorities in benchmarking themselves against peers, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and adopting best practices from better-performing councils.
The NCC believes the annual assessments will encourage healthy competition among local authorities and drive greater efficiency, accountability and responsiveness.
“This will create a culture of continuous improvement and performance excellence across Zimbabwe’s local government system,” said the commission.

The NCC and ZimStat have urged local authorities, business member organisations, residents’ associations, community leaders, businesses and residents to cooperate with enumerators during the survey period.
“Their participation is essential in generating the evidence required to build efficient, responsive, innovative, resilient, clean and investment-friendly local authorities that contribute meaningfully to national competitiveness and sustainable development.”