from MARCUS MUSHONGA in Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
HARARE, (CAJ News) – ZIMBABWE’S gross domestic product (GDP) growth averaged 6,8 percent in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 4,4 percent in the same period last year.
This is according to Prof Mthuli Ncube, Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, as he presented the 2026 Mid-Term Budget and Economic Review and the 2027 National Budget Strategy Paper at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden on Thursday.
Ncube underscored Zimbabwe’s strong economic momentum.
He emphasised that this performance surpassed the 8,3-percent growth achieved in 2025.
Ncube argued that, with such results, the economy should be able to exceed the current 5-percent growth forecast for 2026.
The presentation provided an update on Zimbabwe’s economic performance in the first half of the year and outlined fiscal and macroeconomic projections for the remainder of 2026 under the theme “Enhancing Drivers of Economic Growth and Transformation Towards Vision 2030.”
Ncube highlighted that Zimbabwe continued to make progress on budget transparency and remained among the top performers in sub-Saharan Africa.
The country ranks third in the region after South Africa and Benin, with all three meeting the Global Minimum Standards benchmark score of 61 out of 100.
Month-on-month inflation in 2026 has remained stable and contained.
Following a high of 10,5 percent in January 2025, monthly fluctuations this year have been compressed to between zero and 1,1 percent.
“This reflects a predictable price environment that supports household incomes, business planning and investment under Vision 2030,” Ncube said.
Zimbabwe is emerging from decades of sanctions imposed by some Western powers.
– CAJ News