Public sector urged to strengthen its commitment to ESG principles

Judith Phiri,Zimpapers Business Hub

ZIMBABWE’S public sector has been called on to strengthen its commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles by adopting comprehensive frameworks, developing and setting realistic goals.

Today, public sector sustainability is gaining traction domestically and globally, reflecting a growing awareness of the need for sustainable, responsible and ethical governance.

The country has been pushing for stronger ESG compliance across the public and private sectors as the country’s economy posts a significant rebound.

In an interview on the sidelines of the recent 9th edition of the Public Sector Convention in Bulawayo, Mutapa Investment Fund Chairperson, Dr Chipo Mtasa emphasized the need for embracing ESG and artificial intelligence (AI) in the public sector.

“In the future, Government ESG initiatives will involve further integration and refinement of current practices. Governments are expected to strengthen their commitment to ESG principles by adopting comprehensive frameworks, developing and setting realistic goals and enhancing their reporting mechanisms,” she said.

“There is a lot of talk about ESG what are the issues and how can we manage them and develop proper measurable results that can be tracked and implemented.”

She said managing and influencing change in the public sector was critical as the importance of self-governance, having values of integrity and professionalism, embracing hard work and being able to communicate with stakeholders was critical.

Dr Mtasa said focusing on service delivery for the public sector also meant adhering to deadlines.

“There was talk of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) adoption that is going to take some time. Zimbabwe had set the national deadline for public sector entities to fully comply with the IPSAS as December 31, 2025, however some will fail to meet this deadline. I was challenging them to say why we are taking so long even if it’s competence or systems issues,” she added.

“These are things that they now need to look at and troubleshoot to ensure that they adhere to deadlines rather than to accept that they will fail to meet a deadline.”

She said there was need to also rethink the public financial oversight for a transparent and accountable State.