Business Correspondent
Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) in Masvingo Province are advocating for flexible budget consultation processes to ensure greater citizen participation in public finance management. During a recent training workshop hosted by the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD), attendees expressed concerns about the restrictive nature of current budget consuformality
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Sungano Zvarebganashe noted that the meetings were poorly attended due to limiting conditions. “Masvingo Province has seven districts, but parliament only set aside two meetings, combining people from rural and urban areas. Most people cannot travel to the set venues due to long distances.”
Clashing Timelines
Purazeni Jakata emphasized the need for sensitive timeline selection.
“Local authority budget consultations in Masvingo clash with the Agricultural Show dates. Almost 97 percent of people’s inputs are not reflected in the budget, making participation seem like a formality”.
Call for Transparency
Attendees urged local authorities to provide post-budget formulation reviews to ensure residents’ views are considered.
“People complain about local authorities pushing their own agendas at the expense of ratepayers. We advocate for post-budget reviews at ward levels.”
Strengthening Institutions
ZIMCODD’s Strengthening Institutions and People Participation in Public Finance Management (SIPPP) project aims to equip CBOs with budget analysis skills.
“This training strengthens CBO capacity for meaningful participation in public finance management,” said Muchanyara Midzi.
Effective Budget Tracking
Zvikomborero Sibanda stressed the importance of using critical documents for budget monitoring.
“CBOs must analyze documents to check for deviations against international frameworks.”
Zimbabwe’s public finance management faces scrutiny due to corruption and closed procurement systems. As a signatory to the Abuja Declaration and Dakar Declaration, Zimbabwe aims to allocate 15% and 20% of its budget to public health and education, respectively.
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