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Ministries decry severe underfunding
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Concerns over chronic underfunding dominated the 2026 national budget discussions, with nearly every ministry lamenting shrinking allocations, delayed disbursements and stalled programmes during a recent pre-budget seminar held under the theme Enhancing Drivers of Economic Growth and Transformation towards Vision 2030.
Among the most vocal was the Information Communication Technology (ICT) ministry, which warned that persistent funding shortages threaten to derail Zimbabwe's digital transformation agenda.
Presenting her ministry's budget overview, ICT minister Tatenda Mavetera revealed that Treasury had allocated only ZiG$644 million against a bid of ZiG$10.7 billion — barely 5.96% of what was requested and only 0.22% of the total national budget, down from last year's 0.31%.
She said the ministry's budget share had been on a steady downward trend despite the ICT sector contributing around 10% to GDP.
"The impact of the funding gap is going to stall our projects and cause a lot of delays," Mavetera said. "Delays in Zimbabwe's participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution can limit innovation in governance, agriculture and service delivery."
Mavetera said 65% of the ministry's allocation would be consumed by arrears, leaving just 35% for new projects. Less than half of last year's budgeted funds were actually disbursed, she added - a shortfall now affecting major programmes such as the four-tier national data centre, the New City Data Centre and the national cybersecurity operations centre.
Despite the budget constraints, the ministry plans to push ahead with several strategic initiatives in 2026, including launching the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, expanding connectivity under the Presidential Internet Scheme, establishing ICT labs in schools, rolling out telemedicine, and creating an ICT Fund to strengthen sector financing.
"If we invest more in ICTs, this will create ease of doing business, increase productivity and build a knowledge-based society," she said.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube disputed claims that the ICT sector is being neglected, arguing that the ministry's allocation represents only a fraction of government-wide digitalisation spending.
"What is being presented as ICT in this room is only a third of what's happening across government," Ncube said. "The ICT portfolio is split among four institutions — the Ministry of ICT, the Office of the President and Cabinet, Higher Education and Home Affairs."
He said the Office of the President and Cabinet's ICT budget alone was three times larger than that of the ICT ministry.
Ncube highlighted that various smart initiatives — including Smart Agriculture and Smart Health — are already being financed under other ministries, suggesting that the problem was less about money and more about policy fragmentation.
"The real challenge is duplication and a lack of harmonised planning," he said. "If you gather information across the four ICT hubs, you'll see a very different picture."
In its recommendations, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on ICT, Postal and Courier Services urged Treasury to increase allocations, ensure timely disbursements and centralise ICT budgeting to enhance efficiency and accountability.
Senator Anna Shiri raised concerns about inadequate disability inclusion, saying many community information centres lacked accessible computers, screen readers and applications for persons with disabilities.
"May you please include them," she said. "The budget strategy paper was clear on disability inclusion… Can we also see it reflecting on the budget lines?"
Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said while requesting budget allocations was necessary, overreliance on the fiscus was unrealistic for a global, profit-driven ICT sector dominated by major corporations.
"These are industries which are inherently profitable," Mutsvangwa said. "What we need, beyond budget allocations, is to create conditions for attracting private capital."
He said Zimbabwe must develop a strong digital manufacturing and skills base capable of producing high-tech components and "widgets" used by global automotive brands such as Toyota and Mercedes-Benz.
"That is what is needed to take control, particularly for this city known as Bulawayo. It was an industrial city," he said.
The recurring warnings from ministers and lawmakers reflect a broader concern that persistent underfunding could slow government service delivery and jeopardise national goals under Vision 2030.
As Parliament continues interrogating the 2026 budget framework, calls for greater resource prioritisation — especially in growth-enabling sectors such as ICT — are expected to intensify.
Among the most vocal was the Information Communication Technology (ICT) ministry, which warned that persistent funding shortages threaten to derail Zimbabwe's digital transformation agenda.
Presenting her ministry's budget overview, ICT minister Tatenda Mavetera revealed that Treasury had allocated only ZiG$644 million against a bid of ZiG$10.7 billion — barely 5.96% of what was requested and only 0.22% of the total national budget, down from last year's 0.31%.
She said the ministry's budget share had been on a steady downward trend despite the ICT sector contributing around 10% to GDP.
"The impact of the funding gap is going to stall our projects and cause a lot of delays," Mavetera said. "Delays in Zimbabwe's participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution can limit innovation in governance, agriculture and service delivery."
Mavetera said 65% of the ministry's allocation would be consumed by arrears, leaving just 35% for new projects. Less than half of last year's budgeted funds were actually disbursed, she added - a shortfall now affecting major programmes such as the four-tier national data centre, the New City Data Centre and the national cybersecurity operations centre.
Despite the budget constraints, the ministry plans to push ahead with several strategic initiatives in 2026, including launching the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, expanding connectivity under the Presidential Internet Scheme, establishing ICT labs in schools, rolling out telemedicine, and creating an ICT Fund to strengthen sector financing.
"If we invest more in ICTs, this will create ease of doing business, increase productivity and build a knowledge-based society," she said.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube disputed claims that the ICT sector is being neglected, arguing that the ministry's allocation represents only a fraction of government-wide digitalisation spending.
"What is being presented as ICT in this room is only a third of what's happening across government," Ncube said. "The ICT portfolio is split among four institutions — the Ministry of ICT, the Office of the President and Cabinet, Higher Education and Home Affairs."
He said the Office of the President and Cabinet's ICT budget alone was three times larger than that of the ICT ministry.
Ncube highlighted that various smart initiatives — including Smart Agriculture and Smart Health — are already being financed under other ministries, suggesting that the problem was less about money and more about policy fragmentation.
"The real challenge is duplication and a lack of harmonised planning," he said. "If you gather information across the four ICT hubs, you'll see a very different picture."
In its recommendations, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on ICT, Postal and Courier Services urged Treasury to increase allocations, ensure timely disbursements and centralise ICT budgeting to enhance efficiency and accountability.
Senator Anna Shiri raised concerns about inadequate disability inclusion, saying many community information centres lacked accessible computers, screen readers and applications for persons with disabilities.
"May you please include them," she said. "The budget strategy paper was clear on disability inclusion… Can we also see it reflecting on the budget lines?"
Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said while requesting budget allocations was necessary, overreliance on the fiscus was unrealistic for a global, profit-driven ICT sector dominated by major corporations.
"These are industries which are inherently profitable," Mutsvangwa said. "What we need, beyond budget allocations, is to create conditions for attracting private capital."
He said Zimbabwe must develop a strong digital manufacturing and skills base capable of producing high-tech components and "widgets" used by global automotive brands such as Toyota and Mercedes-Benz.
"That is what is needed to take control, particularly for this city known as Bulawayo. It was an industrial city," he said.
The recurring warnings from ministers and lawmakers reflect a broader concern that persistent underfunding could slow government service delivery and jeopardise national goals under Vision 2030.
As Parliament continues interrogating the 2026 budget framework, calls for greater resource prioritisation — especially in growth-enabling sectors such as ICT — are expected to intensify.
Source - NewsDay
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