Transparency International Zimbabwe has warned that the 2026 National Budget will not deliver meaningful improvements in health financing, procurement efficiency, or anti-corruption efforts unless government consistently releases allocated funds on time.
Presenting its Post-Budget Analysis to parliamentarians, civil society groups and journalists, the anti-corruption watchdog stressed that allocations alone are insufficient. “The message is simple: allocations alone won’t fix the system — disbursements must follow,” TIZ said.
The organisation noted that while the Ministry of Health and Child Care received ZiG30.4 billion — equivalent to 9.7% of the national budget — the allocation falls far short of the ZiG94.3 billion the ministry requested and remains below the 15% Abuja Declaration benchmark. TIZ cautioned that the gap could undermine critical public health priorities.
“The health allocation is high compared to previous years, but it is still inadequate for national needs,” the organisation said. “Critical programmes such as maternal health, disease control and essential medicines remain exposed.”
On maternal health, TI Z acknowledged the government’s investment in infrastructure — including ZiG626.4 million for Mbuya Nehanda Maternity Hospital and upgrades at Mpilo, Masvingo, Lupane and several district hospitals — but warned that historical patterns raise concern.
“The challenge is not the allocation, it’s whether the money will be released on time,” TI Z said. “Last year, the Ministry of Health had only spent 36% of its budget due to delayed or partial disbursements.”
The organisation also criticised the absence of dedicated funding for medicines procurement. While government has directed NatPharm to procure 49 essential medicine lines from local manufacturers, TI Z said the mandate is impossible to implement without resources.
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“This is a policy without funding,” the group said. “Unfunded mandates will not fix medicine shortages.”
On procurement reforms — including the National Standard Price List, pooled procurement, digital compliance with ZIMRA and the rollout of e-government procurement TI Z said the policy direction is positive but unsupported financially.
“No allocation was provided for PRAZ or for nationwide e-GP training,” the organisation noted.
“Without resources, adoption will be slow, especially in rural health facilities with limited connectivity.”
TI Z further raised alarm over anti-corruption funding, saying the marginal increase for the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission now at 0.079% of the national budget — remains grossly inadequate. “ZACC is expected to investigate, prevent, educate and recover assets in a country losing an estimated US$1.8 billion annually to corruption,” the organisation said.
“The allocation is far too low for such a mandate, and there is still no framework to track elite enrichment.”
The watchdog issued several recommendations aimed at closing implementation gaps. “Disbursements must be timely. Allocations mean nothing without actual release,” TIZ said.
It also called for a standalone maternal health vote, direct funding for NatPharm, increased support for PRAZ and e-GP training, and stronger anti-corruption enforcement mechanisms.
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