Zimbabwe’s Debt Woes: A Call for Transparency and Accountability
Harare, Zimbabwe - As the country continues to struggle with its debt crisis, two leading organizations, AFRODAD and ZIMCODD, have launched a project aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability in public finance management.
Background
The Strengthening Transparency and Accountability Project (STAP) has been implementing various initiatives to improve the achievement of Public Finance Management (PFM) objectives. Notable improvements have been made in reporting debt statistics through the introduction of Public Debt Bulletins and annexures on the national budget.
However, despite these efforts, oversight of public corporations and local authorities remains weak, with accounting for revenue from natural resources remaining a challenge. Moreover, implementation of recommendations from auditor general’s reports continues to face significant hurdles.
The Way Forward
To address these issues, AFRODAD has developed the African Borrowing Charter, which provides detailed guidelines for maintaining sustainable debt and fiscal prudence. The charter emphasizes the importance of transparency, productivity, and citizen participation in the allocation and use of public resources.
The Harare Declaration places responsibility on governments to transform their economies and address debt problems experienced by Zimbabweans. However, the country’s government still faces challenges in implementing PFM laws, which has hindered its ability to emerge from debt distress since 2000.
Seeking a Consultant
AFRODAD and ZIMCODD are seeking a consultant to produce a policy brief assessing the extent to which PFM laws are adhered to by the executive. The brief will identify gaps in PFM legislation implementation and provide alternatives for increasing political will to implement reforms.
Objectives
- Assess the effectiveness of PFM reforms carried out since 2018
- Identify major challenges to PFM compliance
- Explore gaps in PFM legislation
- Evaluate the extent to which state-owned enterprises (SoE) and local authorities comply with basic principles of PFM
- Suggest recommendations for improving PFM in Zimbabwe
Expected Outcome
The expected outcome of this consultancy is a short policy brief that will be used to lobby parliament to ensure central and local government compliance with PFM legislation. The project aims to increase the influence on institutional and legislative reforms as well as improve oversight by parliament.
Application Process
Interested applicants should submit their CV, expression of interest (EoI), budget (US$), and timeframe to recruitment@afrodad.org by April 27, 2022.