- Afdb Backs Zimbabwe’s Public Procurement Overhaul as Reform Roadmap Is Unveiled
Zimbabwe has launched a landmark public procurement reform roadmap aimed at improving transparency, efficiency, accountability and value for money in the use of public resources.
The reform plan follows the completion of the country’s Methodology for Assessing Procurement Systems assessment, developed jointly by the Government of Zimbabwe and the African Development Bank. The assessment benchmarks Zimbabwe’s public procurement system against international standards and sets out priority reforms to modernise procurement practices.
The roadmap was unveiled during the inaugural Southern Africa Public Procurement Forum, where Vice President Constantino Chiwenga officially launched the Zimbabwe MAPS Report 2026. The report provides a comprehensive assessment of the country’s procurement framework and identifies areas for reform across governance, institutional capacity, electronic procurement, sustainable procurement and market participation.
The African Development Bank said the roadmap marks a major step in Zimbabwe’s effort to strengthen public-sector governance and improve the effectiveness of public spending. The report identifies priorities to enhance governance frameworks, expand electronic government procurement and improve institutional capacity.
Public procurement is one of the most important channels through which governments convert budgets into roads, schools, hospitals, energy infrastructure, public services and development projects. Weak procurement systems can therefore increase costs, delay delivery, weaken public confidence and create opportunities for waste or corruption.
For Zimbabwe, the reform roadmap is expected to support wider efforts to improve fiscal discipline, strengthen public financial management and rebuild confidence in state institutions.
The MAPS assessment found that Zimbabwe’s procurement system has undergone important legal and institutional changes in recent years. A modern public procurement law, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act, was adopted in 2018, with supporting regulations, while proposed amendments to the law are under parliamentary consideration.
The assessment also noted that Zimbabwe rolled out a new electronic government procurement system in 2024, providing an opportunity to improve transparency, strengthen monitoring and support a transition to digital procurement across the full procurement cycle.
However, the report also identified several gaps that require sustained reform. These include weaknesses in budgetary and financial controls, procurement planning, payment records, contract management, data use, civil society engagement and the professionalisation of procurement functions.
According to the assessment, weak budgetary and financial controls can negatively affect the procurement system, while broader anti-corruption and public financial management reforms will be necessary to address some of the identified risks.
The report also raised concerns over payment documentation. In a sample of 108 procurement files, 87.00% contained no record of payment on the procurement file, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions on whether invoices were paid on time. Stakeholder consultations also pointed to concerns over delayed, late or non-payment of invoices.
For businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, late payment and weak procurement records can create major cash-flow pressures and discourage participation in public tenders. A more transparent and predictable procurement system could therefore help widen private-sector access to government contracts and improve competition.
The reform roadmap places strong emphasis on expanding electronic government procurement, strengthening the use of procurement data and improving the ability of institutions to monitor procurement performance.
AfDB Country Manager for Zimbabwe, Eyerusalem Fasika, praised the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe and regional regulators for establishing the Southern Africa Public Procurement Forum as a platform for collaboration and innovation. She noted that the long-term value of the MAPS assessment would depend on how effectively the recommendations are implemented.
The assessment was completed in eight months, significantly faster than the global average of about 18 months, a pace the AfDB-linked report said reflected Zimbabwe’s commitment to modernising its procurement system.
The roadmap also points to sustainable public procurement as a reform priority. This means public purchasing decisions should increasingly take into account not only price, but also environmental, social and economic outcomes.
For African economies facing fiscal constraints, procurement reform has become an increasingly important governance issue. Public procurement absorbs a substantial share of public expenditure, and even modest improvements in competition, transparency and contract management can produce major savings and improve service delivery.
Zimbabwe’s reform process is therefore likely to be watched by other countries in the region seeking to digitalise procurement, reduce leakages and strengthen public confidence in government contracting.
The challenge now is implementation. A roadmap can identify gaps and reform priorities, but progress will depend on sustained political commitment, institutional coordination, technical capacity, enforcement and public access to procurement information.
If implemented effectively, Zimbabwe’s procurement reform agenda could help improve the quality of public spending, reduce waste, create a more competitive public contracting market and strengthen confidence among citizens, businesses and development partners.
For Zimbabwe, the launch of the roadmap signals a shift from diagnosis to execution. The real test will be whether the reforms translate into faster procurement, better contract management, timely payments, stronger oversight and more visible value for money in public projects.
