Online Reporter
Business Reporter
Zimbabwe has secured commitments from the United Kingdom and Germany to support its economic reform agenda, as the country pushes forward with efforts to clear its arrears and restore relations with international financial institutions, the Ministry of Finance has confirmed.
The Treasury announced via its official Twitter handle @ZimTreasury on April 14, 2026 that the pledges came during high-level engagements on the sidelines of the 2026 IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, DC.
Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr John Mushayavanhu are leading the country’s delegation to the meetings this week.
During discussions with UK IMF Executive Director Veda Pon and UK Advisor Will Obeney, the British delegation commended Zimbabwe’s progress under the Staff-Monitored Programme (SMP), describing it as a credible signal of commitment to reform. The UK indicated it would relay Zimbabwe’s reform progress to its capital and expressed openness to providing technical assistance to support programme implementation.
In a separate meeting with German Executive Director Bernd Kaltenhäuser, Zimbabwe’s search for an advocacy partner and bridge-loan champion took centre stage. Germany acknowledged the SMP as a critical foundation for arrears clearance and indicated its potential role as an advocacy champion. However, Berlin stressed the need to integrate private sector participation into the arrears clearance process, aligning with public-private partnership models to enhance financial sustainability and risk-sharing.
The Minister and his delegation also held high-level talks with senior World Bank officials, including Regional Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa Ndiame Diop, Vice President for Development Finance Dr Akihiko Nishio, and Managing Director for Operations Anna Bjerde.
The World Bank commended Zimbabwe for the successful implementation of the SMP, giving particular recognition to the achievement of single-digit inflation – recorded at 4,1 percent in January 2026 – and a sustained current account surplus over seven consecutive years.
Discussions focused on mobilising shareholder support for a potential pre-arrears clearance framework under Zimbabwe’s Debt and Arrears Clearance Strategy. The country is actively seeking both an advocacy partner and a bridge-loan champion to facilitate engagement with international financial institutions and accelerate arrears resolution.
