<\/p>\n
The IMF Management on Wednesday said that it approved the review under Zimbabwe\u2019s 10-month Staff-Monitored Programme, citing progress in strengthening policy implementation and macroeconomic stability.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The programme does not provide financing but is intended to support Zimbabwe\u2019s efforts towards arrears clearance, debt resolution and renewed engagement with creditors and development partners.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe\u2019s economy continued expanding during the first half of 2026, supported by strong mineral exports, favourable commodity prices and resilient remittance inflows.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Annual Zimbabwe Gold inflation stood at 3.7% in September, while the exchange rate remained broadly stable.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Government revenue exceeded programme expectations, helping produce a stronger primary budget balance than initially projected.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Economic growth is forecast at 5% in 2026, with inflation expected to remain in single digits and the current account recording a surplus.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Growth is projected to slow to 3.5% in 2027 because of the anticipated effect of an El Ni\u00f1o-related drought on agricultural production before recovering in 2028.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A more severe drought and renewed commodity and energy-price pressures remain significant risks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe met all end-June quantitative targets, structural benchmarks and continuous commitments. However, spending on protected social and priority programmes remained below target because of persistent implementation challenges.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The IMF said stronger-than-expected revenue provided an opportunity to build fiscal buffers and prepare for possible food-security and energy pressures.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The 2027 Budget should use prudent revenue and financing assumptions to prevent a lasting structural deficit while protecting social and high-impact development spending.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Stronger expenditure controls, cash planning and public financial management would also be required to prevent new arrears.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe maintained an appropriately tight monetary-policy stance, supporting price and exchange-rate stability.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The IMF welcomed progress towards a more transparent foreign-exchange trading platform and a gradual transition to a market-based foreign-exchange system.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Stronger oversight of Mutapa Investment Fund and other state-owned enterprises was also recommended to contain fiscal risks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The IMF called for audited financial statements, continued borrowing controls and publication of a detailed anti-corruption strategy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Further progress in reconciling debt data and developing a credible, fully financed arrears-clearance plan would strengthen Zimbabwe\u2019s re-engagement with creditors and development partners.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–IMF\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":44639,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-47592","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Zimbabwe has completed the second review of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme after meeting all end-June quantitative targets and maintaining low inflation and exchange-rate stability.","published_date":"","news_description":"Zimbabwe has completed the second review of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme after meeting all end-June quantitative targets and maintaining low inflation and exchange-rate stability.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47593,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47592\/revisions\/47593"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=47592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}