Story by Yolanda Moyo
AS Zimbabwe gears up for the presentation of the 2026 National Budget, the tone is shifting towards creating a strong platform for accelerated economic growth, with the government focusing on stability, infrastructure and inclusive development as key pillars towards achieving Vision 2030.
With the 2026 national budget consultations in full swing across the country, ZBC sat down with the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion; Professor Mthuli Ncube who confirmed that the central theme for the fiscal blueprint will be constructing a robust economic foundation, critical for succeeding the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and achieving the ultimate prize which is Vision 2030.
“The tone for the budget is to set up the right platform towards the achievement of Vision 2030, so we need a very strong growth rate out of the policies that the budget will support, which will be the tone. We have already started that process: we have embarked on a drive to reduce the cost of doing business, and that is part of laying the foundation as we move to the upper high level of performance,” he said.
The Treasury Chief outlined three critical pillars for the forthcoming budget, with macro-economic stability topping the list, and infrastructure development highlighted as a critical geothermal driver in the economy.
“Fiscal policy, and in this budget, will focus on entrenching microeconomic stability. We need that certainty for the industry and private sector to invest going forward; it even requires government certainties in its own revenue collection measures, so continued macroeconomic stability is key and goes along with stability.
“We need to support our growth drivers, such as infrastructure, be it roads, rails, power, water supply; these are critical geothermal drivers in the economy that fiscal policy must continue to support. The other area is to make sure that we can deal with our arrears in terms of any data that we owe, and we are pleased to see our debt to GDP has dropped to 45 % and it is within reasonable standards in terms of global standards,” Professor Ncube said.
Beyond the numbers, inclusivity remains central with the budget set to upscale funding for health, education, and social protection, ensuring no one is left behind in the country’s growth story.
“Strong economic performance must be felt across all segments of society, committing budget support to prevent any citizen from being left behind by the expected economic uptick. This would translate into significant allocations for social protection and core services,” Minister Ncube said.
The 2026 Budget is expected to be presented to Parliament towards the end of the year, following the conclusion of these consultative processes, setting the formal stage for the next phase of the National Development Strategy.
