The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) has recorded significant financial, operational and governance reforms under the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) framework, Board Chairperson George Manyaya revealed while presenting the authority’s 2025 year to date report during the Minister’s Corporate Governance review.

Presenting the report, Manyaya said ZINARA had made notable progress toward fulfilling its long-term vision of becoming “a well managed fund for sustainable road infrastructure maintenance by 2030.” He described the institution as having successfully transformed into a reliable Road Fund through stronger partnerships with the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Finance and other arms of Government.

Among the key milestones highlighted was ZINARA’s co-financing of major national road projects in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, including the strategic Harare–Beitbridge Highway. The authority also funded high impact regional infrastructure, contributing US$219.9 million toward SADC designated roads.

Financial performance showed strong growth during the NDS1 period. Revenue nearly doubled, increasing by 95 percent from US$222.3 million in 2021 to US$432.6 million in 2025. Disbursements also rose sharply by 80 percent, from US$108.8 million to US$306.7 million over the same period. To preserve value, ZINARA adopted a fuel based disbursement model to road authorities, resulting in the distribution of 5.1 million litres of fuel since the policy was introduced in 2023.

The authority also made major strides in debt management. The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) loan was reduced from US$173 million in 2021 to US$23 million in 2025, while interest rates were successfully renegotiated downward from 8.16 percent to 5 percent. Manyaya added that road user charges had remained stable, supported by improved and competitive revenue collection systems.

Governance and financial accountability were also a major focus of the turnaround. ZINARA cleared a four-year backlog of audits and Annual General Meetings by 2025 and achieved clean audit reports for both 2023 and 2024. The organisation resolved 90 percent of issues raised by the Auditor-General for the 2024 financial year, the highest resolution rate among public entities.

Institutional monitoring and evaluation were strengthened through the engagement of 10 provincial engineers in addition to existing technical teams. The authority resolved 70 out of 71 issues raised in the Grant Thornton forensic audit and improved its corporate governance compliance rate from 65 percent to 87 percent. Procurement compliance reached 100 percent in line with PRAZ ratings.

Internally, ZINARA underwent a wide ranging organisational restructure, including job evaluation and skills audits. Revenue operations were separated from support functions, a Project Management Unit was established, and new Risk Management and Loss Control divisions were introduced. The ICT department was fully restructured to support the new transformation agenda.

On the digital front, ZINARA resuscitated its SAP system, conducted ICT audits and cybersecurity vulnerability assessments, and rolled out express lane facilities through the electronic tolling (e-tag) and Free Flow Tolling Electronic Platform (FTEP). The authority also introduced e-recruitment systems, biometric controls, CCTV surveillance with a central control center, and solarisation of tollgates and offices to enhance efficiency and sustainability.

Public engagement and integrity systems were strengthened through the establishment of Integrity Committees at both management and board levels. ZINARA rolled out new public engagement initiatives such as “license and win” promotions, quarterly public disbursement reports to road authorities, media and parliamentary tours, and sponsored national radio programmes for both the Ministry and ZINARA.

Customer satisfaction levels improved significantly, rising to 74 percent from previously low ratings. Employee welfare and engagement also showed steady growth, with staff satisfaction improving from 63.7 percent to 71.7 percent, and overall employee engagement increasing from 82.3 percent to 91 percent. Staff also benefited from mortgage facilities, tools of trade and improved working conditions.

Manyaya said the organisation’s “remarkable turnaround, transformation and transition” had earned widespread recognition from key stakeholders, including the Office of the President and Cabinet, the Portfolio Committee on Transport, the Public Accounts Committee, the Africa Parliamentarians’ Network Against Corruption (APNAC), the Corporate Governance Unit, the Auditor-General’s Office, ZACC and the general public.