KEY POINTS
- A civic lobby group criticizes Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube for excluding key stakeholders from budget consultations.
- The group calls for broader engagement to ensure inclusive and effective financial planning.
- Concerns are raised about the government’s lack of transparency and public involvement in economic decisions.
Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister, Mthuli Ncube, is under fire from a civic lobby group over what the group calls limited consultations on the 2024 national budget.
The group has also pointed out that civil society and other grassroots organizations have not been involved in the process, which has raised questions about the openness of the government on its financial planning.
Exclusion of key stakeholders
The lobby group has further alleged that Ncube has been conducting consultations in a selective manner involving mainly government-affiliated organizations and the business mogul.
They say that this selective approach excludes important stakeholders from civil society, labor unions, and other groups affected by national budget decisions.
In its view, the failure to engage all stakeholders could result in budget proposals that do not meet the needs of the larger population, especially in an economy that is in a bad state with high poverty and unemployment levels.
The group stressed the need to consult to avoid the national budget being a preserve of the elite and instead be for the benefit of the entire nation.
Calls for broader engagement
The group is calling on the Ministry of Finance to broaden its consultation and involve other stakeholders such as non-governmental organizations, women and youths.
They say this would assist in making sure that the budget caters for the needs of all the people of Zimbabwe and thus the issue of inclusiveness.
The group said this in a statement, noting that everyone needs to contribute towards the planning of finances, especially given the challenges that Zimbabwe is still facing such as inflation and limited funding of public services.
According to New Zimbabwe, the lobbyists have said that wider participation would enhance accountability and transparency in the process of budgeting.
Concerns over government transparency
This criticism comes at a time when many Zimbabweans are becoming impatient with the government’s perceived secrecy in matters of the economy.
There has been increasing concern that some of the important policies are being formulated in a secretive manner with little or no public participation.
The lobby group’s concerns are similar to other voices that have called for more openness in the distribution of national resources.
As people no longer have faith in the government’s ability to manage the economy, civil society organizations are calling for increased transparency and participation to rebuild the trust between the government and the people.
Hope for a more inclusive process.
However, there is an optimism that the government will consider these calls for broader consultation seriously at the moment.
Involving more stakeholders could not only enhance the credibility of the budget process but also make Zimbabwe’s financial planning more responsive to the population’s needs.
While Zimbabwe is set to prepare for its 2024 budget, many are waiting to see if Ncube will listen to these calls and make the process more open.
For now, the lobby group is still demanding more participation, as they think that this will be the way towards having a responsible and efficient government.
