Story by Mercy Bofu-Matinha
GOVERNMENT has directed public entities to sharpen performance, accountability and service delivery as it intensifies efforts to accelerate national development and meet citizens’ expectations.
Senior officials, including chief executive officers and board chairpersons, are meeting in Masvingo for a three-day Public Entities 2026 Performance Contracts Validation Workshop focused on strengthening performance management systems across State institutions.
The workshop seeks to entrench a performance-driven culture aligned to National Development Strategy Two (NDS2) and Vision 2030.
Corporate Governance Unit secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Mr Allen Choruma, said the programme is designed to enforce performance contracts between boards and executives.
“Through this meeting what we are trying to do is to drive the performance agenda in Government where public entities are supposed to ensure that they have performance contracts between the board and the CEO and other senior officials. We want to infuse a performance culture across the public entities with the objective of enhancing their financial performance as well as ensuring they provide efficient service delivery to our people,” he said.
Presentations at the workshop focused on public entities’ contribution to NDS2, governance standards and performance evaluation mechanisms.
Best Practices Pvt Limited Managing Director, Dr Godfrey Manungo, said the evaluation framework will be evidence-based.
“Our performance management evaluation aims to rate performance based on evidence, understanding the factors and conditions underlying the performance levels, sharing responses to performance implementation challenges, drawing lessons from contract performance implementation and recommending performance improvement measures,” he said.
Chief Executive Officer of the Grain Marketing Board, Dr Edson Bhadarai, said stronger results from State-owned enterprises must be anchored on sound corporate strategies and governance.
“The enhanced State-owned enterprises’ performance should be through corporate strategies, effective governance and strengthening capacity in institutions,” he said.
Participants said the validation process enhances transparency and financial discipline in the public sector.
“Financial prudence in terms of value for money is becoming very critical, so the discussions we are having are important especially when we are setting our targets where we are expected to consider sustainability,” said Mr Clever Ruswa.
“As public entities, as we are performing it is important that we get monitored and evaluated,” Mr Irvine Craig added.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has previously said improved performance of State-owned enterprises hinges on proper performance management, disciplined capital allocation and corporate strategies aligned to Vision 2030 and NDS2.
