Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat), in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, is set to commence the second phase of the 2025/6 Zimbabwe Social Registry Survey (Ziso) in Nkayi District, Matabeleland North Province.
The exercise will involve a complete census of households in the district.
It marks the progressive expansion of a national initiative aimed at establishing a comprehensive Zimbabwe Social Registry, a unified data and information system designed to support the planning, implementation and monitoring of social protection and development programmes.
The social registry is expected to become a key instrument in strengthening the country’s safety nets, reducing poverty and fostering inclusive development as the country works towards its Vision 2030 goals.
In a statement, ZimStat director-general Mrs Tafadzwa Bandama called on the community of Nkayi to fully support the data collection teams.
“The credibility and success of this national initiative and by extension, the effectiveness of Zimbabwe’s social protection programmes depend on the active participation of every household. Your co-operation is greatly appreciated,” she said.
Mrs Bandama said the survey would enable the Government and its partners to identify households more accurately for potential interventions, enhance fairness and transparency in targeting and reduce duplication and leakages in the delivery of social services.
“It will promote co-ordination among Government ministries, departments, agencies and development partners through a common data source and support evidence-based policy-making, monitoring, and evaluation of social programmes,” she said.
The survey will collect a wide range of household-level data, including information on demographics, education, employment, housing, land ownership, access to services, economic activities and household vulnerabilities.
That data will directly contribute to improved service delivery, stronger social safety nets and better preparedness for shocks such as drought and economic crises.
Nkayi is among the districts identified as vulnerable through ZimStat’s statistical data and the exercise will increasingly expand to cover all 65 districts of Zimbabwe.
The 2025/6 Social Registry Survey is being implemented with technical and financial support from the Government of Zimbabwe, the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (Sida), Swiss Development Co-operation (SDC), the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (Echo) and the World Bank.
Unicef and the World Food Programme (WFP) are also collaborating in the initiative.
The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare is leading the programme in line with the National Social Protection Policy Framework (NSPPF), reinforcing the Government’s commitment to leaving no one behind in the drive towards national development.
Bongani Ndlovu