By Kudzaishe Chimonera
Zimbabwe has been ranked the third most transparent country in Africa in budget management, with Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube saying the recognition reflects the country’s continued efforts to strengthen accountability in the management of public finances.
Announcing the latest assessment, Ncube said the ranking acknowledges Zimbabwe’s performance in preparing, implementing and reporting on the national budget.
“We’ve just received an accolade in terms of our performance, how we prepare for our budgets, how we deploy our budgets, how we strive to be transparent in the way we spend our resources,” he said.
The Finance Minister said Zimbabwe had retained third place on the continent for the second consecutive time since it began participating in the survey which measures countries’ adherence to internationally recognised standards of budget transparency.
“And we, again, for the second time since we started participating in this survey, we ranked number three on the entire African continent,” Ncube said.
According to the Minister, South Africa secured the top position, followed by Benin, with Zimbabwe completing the top three.
“South Africa was number one, Benin was number two, Zimbabwe number three,” he said.
Ncube said the three countries were the only African nations to meet the global benchmark for sound budget management practices.
“These three countries, South Africa, Benin and Zimbabwe, are the only countries in the entire African continent which met the threshold global standard for proper budget,” he said.
He added that within the Southern African region, only Zimbabwe and South Africa had attained the internationally recognised standard.
“Naturally, in Southern Africa it is only South Africa and Zimbabwe who met that threshold,” Ncube said.
The latest ranking places Zimbabwe among Africa’s leading performers in budget transparency, underscoring efforts by the Treasury to improve openness, accountability and public confidence in the management of state finances.
Budget transparency is widely regarded as a key measure of good governance, enabling citizens, legislators and oversight institutions to scrutinise how public funds are raised, allocated and spent.
The rankings are often used to assess governments’ commitment to fiscal accountability and sound public financial management.
