Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe
[email protected]
Zimbabwe has cemented its position as one of Africa’s leading champions of fiscal transparency after being ranked third in Sub-Saharan Africa and second in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the 2025 Open Budget Survey (OBS), a development that underscores the country’s growing reputation for sound public financial management and accountable governance.
The achievement places Zimbabwe behind only South Africa and Benin in Sub-Saharan Africa, indicating the significant strides made by the Second Republic in strengthening transparency, improving public access to budget information and deepening fiscal reforms under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and Vision 2030.
Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube described the ranking as a strong endorsement of Government’s reform agenda.
“The Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion is pleased to announce that Zimbabwe has once again recorded a strong performance in the 2025 Open Budget Survey (OBS), reaffirming Government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and sound public financial management,” Prof Ncube said.
Conducted every two years by the International Budget Partnership (IBP), the Open Budget Survey is regarded as the world’s leading independent assessment of budget transparency, public participation and oversight.
The survey evaluates countries based on three key pillars — Budget Transparency, Public Participation and Budget Oversight — which collectively measure how governments manage public resources and involve citizens in fiscal decision-making.
According to the survey findings, Zimbabwe significantly outperformed both regional and global benchmarks.
“The 2025 results, launched on 3 June 2025 under the theme ‘Accountability at a Crossroads: Open Budget Survey 2025 Findings for Sub-Saharan Africa’, show that Zimbabwe scored 62 out of 100 on the Open Budget Index (OBI), well above the Sub-Saharan African average of 38 out of 100 and above the international benchmark for adequate public access to budget information,” said the Minister.
The strong performance reflects growing confidence in Zimbabwe’s public finance management systems and reinforces the country’s standing as a reform-oriented economy committed to international best practice.
“Zimbabwe is ranked third in Sub-Saharan Africa, behind South Africa and Benin, and second in the SADC region, confirming its position among Africa’s leading performers in budget transparency.”
The latest ranking comes at a time when Zimbabwe is intensifying efforts to strengthen economic governance, enhance accountability in public expenditure and improve service delivery through more efficient management of public resources.
Analysts say the recognition is likely to bolster investor confidence by demonstrating Government’s commitment to transparency and prudent fiscal management, key factors considered by development partners, lenders and private investors when assessing country risk.
Prof Ncube attributed the achievement to sustained institutional reforms and collaboration among various stakeholders involved in public finance management.
“This achievement reflects Government’s continued efforts to strengthen fiscal transparency, improve public access to budget information and implement public financial management reforms under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and Vision 2030.”
He also acknowledged the collective efforts of institutions that have played a key role in advancing transparency and accountability.
“Government acknowledges the contributions of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, Parliament of Zimbabwe, the Office of the Auditor-General, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) in advancing the public financial management reform agenda.”
While celebrating the milestone, Government has indicated that further work remains, particularly in strengthening citizen engagement in the budget process.
“While significant progress has been made in transparency and oversight, Government remains focused on strengthening public participation.”
As part of that commitment, Treasury and Parliament are set to embark on an extensive nationwide consultation programme ahead of the formulation of the 2027 National Budget.
“In this regard, the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion and Parliament of Zimbabwe will conduct nationwide budget consultation meetings from July to December 2026 as part of preparations for the 2027 National Budget.”
“These consultations will provide citizens, civil society organisations, youth, women, persons with disabilities, business representatives and other stakeholders with meaningful opportunities to contribute to the budget process.”
Prof Ncube said Government would continue building on the gains already achieved by broadening access to budget information and institutionalising public participation throughout the fiscal cycle.
“Government remains committed to further enhancing budget transparency, expanding citizen-friendly budget information, strengthening oversight mechanisms and institutionalising public participation throughout the budget cycle.”
The Minister also extended appreciation to stakeholders supporting Zimbabwe’s public financial management reforms and encouraged citizens to actively participate in the upcoming budget consultations.
