Zimbabwe has secured a top-three ranking in Africa for budget transparency after attaining 62 out of 100 in the 2025 Open Budget Survey, a performance that places the country well above regional averages and underscores the success of ongoing fiscal reforms.
In a statement yesterday, the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, Professor Mthuli Ncube, said the latest ranking demonstrated Zimbabwe’s commitment to transparency, accountability and sound public financial management.
“The Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion is pleased to announce that Zimbabwe has once again recorded a strong performance in the 2025 Open Budget Survey (OBS), reaffirming Government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and sound public financial management,” said Prof Ncube.
He noted that Zimbabwe’s score of 62 out of 100 on the Open Budget Index was significantly higher than the Sub-Saharan African average of 38 out of 100 and exceeded the international benchmark for adequate public access to budget information.
“The 2025 results show that Zimbabwe scored 62 out of 100 on the Open Budget Index (OBI), well above the Sub-Saharan African average of 38 out of 100 and above the international benchmark for adequate public access to budget information,” he said.
Prof Ncube highlighted that Zimbabwe’s ranking behind only South Africa and Benin in Sub-Saharan Africa underscored the success of ongoing fiscal reforms.
“Zimbabwe is ranked third in Sub-Saharan Africa, behind South Africa and Benin, and second in the SADC region, confirming its position among Africa’s leading performers in budget transparency.
This achievement reflects Government’s continued efforts to strengthen fiscal transparency, improve public access to budget information and implement public financial management reforms under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and Vision 2030,” he added.
The Minister acknowledged the role played by various institutions and development partners in advancing reforms.
“Government acknowledges the contributions of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, Parliament of Zimbabwe, the Office of the Auditor-General, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) in advancing the public financial management reform agenda,” he said.
Despite the positive results, Prof Ncube said Government remained focused on improving public participation in the budget process.
“While significant progress has been made in transparency and oversight, Government remains focused on strengthening public participation,” he said.
In this regard, the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion and Parliament of Zimbabwe will conduct nationwide budget consultation meetings from July to December 2026 as part of preparations for the 2027 National Budget,” Prof Ncube noted.
He said the consultations would provide citizens and key stakeholders with opportunities to contribute to national budget priorities.
“These consultations will provide citizens, civil society organisations, youth, women, persons with disabilities, business representatives and other stakeholders with meaningful opportunities to contribute to the budget process,” said Prof Ncube.
He reiterated Government’s commitment to deepening reforms.
“Government remains committed to further enhancing budget transparency, expanding citizen-friendly budget information, strengthening oversight mechanisms and institutionalising public participation throughout the budget cycle,” he said.
The Ministry also encouraged Zimbabweans to actively participate in the upcoming consultations as the country seeks to consolidate gains made in public financial management and accountability.
The Open Budget Survey is a globally recognised assessment conducted by the International Budget Partnership every two years.
It evaluates countries on budget transparency, public participation and oversight, providing an independent measure of how governments manage and disclose public finances. Zimbabwe’s 2025 score of 62 places it among the continent’s strongest performers in budget openness and accountability.
