FINANCE, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube is today expected to headline a high-level academia-industry engagement in Bulawayo, where he will tackle a wide range of economic issues centred on the 2026 National Budget and the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
The engagement is running under the theme “Aligning the 2026 Budget with National Development Strategy 2 for Inclusive Growth and Vision 2030.”
Captains of industry from the manufacturing, retail, mining, agriculture, banking sectors are expected to attend alongside policy experts, individuals focused on supporting business growth, members of academia.
The meeting is anticipated to provide a platform for robust dialogue on macro-economic stability, fiscal consolidation, structural transformation and inclusive growth.
The 2026 National Budget projects total expenditure of ZiG290 billion, equivalent to about US$9,5 billion or 17 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
This is set against a revenue target of ZiG288 billion, or about US$9,4 billion, representing 16,9 percent of GDP.
However, when the budget was passed in December last year, Prof Ncube said the operational framework presented to Parliament on November 27, 2025, is based on a more conservative total revenue target of ZiG275,7 billion, or US$9 billion, equivalent to 16,2 percent of GDP.
He said the figures would be reviewed in the second half of the year once revenue performance stabilises.
Today’s engagement is expected to interrogate how the 2026 fiscal framework can best support the implementation of NDS2, the country’s second five-year economic blueprint launched in December last year, which will run from 2026 to 2030.
NDS2 is designed to consolidate gains realised under the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) while accelerating Zimbabwe’s transformation into an upper middle-income economy by 2030, in line with Vision 2030.
Stakeholders are also likely to raise issues relating to the cost of doing business, taxation, exchange rate stability, public debt management and access to affordable long-term capital — key concerns that continue to shape business confidence and economic performance.
The academia-industry interface is viewed as critical in bridging the gap between policy formulation and practical implementation, ensuring that budgetary measures are informed by research, data and real sector experiences.-herald
