Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube presented the 2026 National Budget to Parliament on Thursday, proposing a total expenditure of ZWG 312.6 billion. The figure represents a 62% reduction from the initial combined funding requests submitted by government ministries and departments.
The budget was presented under the theme, “Enhancing Drivers of Economic Growth and Transformation Towards Vision 2030.” According to the minister’s presentation, the fiscal plan is designed to align with the country’s National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), a government blueprint for the 2026–2030 period.
The proposed ZWG 312.6 billion allocation was finalized after a consolidation of initial bids from various government bodies. The 62% decrease from these requests indicates the total initial submissions were approximately ZWG 823 billion. Minister Ncube’s presentation framed the budget as a plan to allocate available resources toward key national priorities.
During his address, Ncube outlined the government’s intention to focus on strategic pillars of the NDS2 framework. The stated objective of the budget is to support economic growth and progress toward the administration’s “Vision 2030” goals. The details of specific allocations to individual ministries, social programs, infrastructure projects, and debt servicing were included in the formal budget statement submitted for legislative review.
The proposal will now be subject to debate and review by members of Parliament. Following deliberations and potential amendments, a final version of the budget must be passed by the legislature to become law and guide government spending for the 2026 fiscal year. The process involves scrutiny of the revenue projections and expenditure priorities outlined by the Treasury.
