Story by Stanley James, Business Editor
FINANCE, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube has delivered a reform-based, stability-focused and growth-oriented 2026 national budget pronouncing measures to expand the economy, protect vulnerable groups and increase production.
A national budget is an important policy document that lays out how the Government will spend revenue earned from taxes to provide key social services such as education and health, while also financing key economic enablers, including roads and power generation.
Announcing a ZiG$290 billion National budget, the Treasury Chief was consistent with aspirations of government as contained in the National Development Strategy two (NDS2) launched by President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House earlier this Thursday.
The largest chunk of the allocation went to the education sector with ZiG$47.4 billion, followed by the peace and security sector at ZiG$46.8 billion and health at ZiG$30.4 billion.
The Finance Minister has also prioritised infrastructure development to build on the milestones achieved by NDS1 after he allocated ZiG$14.4 billion, towards the devolution agenda.
The tone for economic growth has been set and it is yet to be seen how this 2026 fiscal policy will be received by various sectors of the economy.
While Treasury might not satisfy everyone’s wish list, certainly its priorities are informed by pre-budget consultations with key economic stakeholders.
