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Zimbabwe’s mining sector has long been the economy’s backbone, contributing nearly 15% of GDP, over 70% of export earnings, and anchoring the country’s foreign currency stability. Yet, despite this undeniable importance, the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development remains systematically underfunded, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
In the original 2025 National Budget, the Ministry of Mines was allocated ZiG$664.8 million, roughly US$22 million at the time. To put this in context, the Ministry of Finance itself received ZiG$28.7 billion, and Agriculture received ZiG$22.9 billion. Education and Health received ZiG$56.9 billion and ZiG$28.2 billion, respectively.
While other ministries are undeniably critical, mining is the only sector that consistently brings in billions in foreign currency, which in turn supports all other sectors. The 2025 Mid-Term Budget and Economic Review confirmed this: Zimbabwe received US$6 billion in foreign currency receipts between January and May 2025, and gold alone fetched US$2 billion in just the first six months.
Yet, the Ministry tasked with overseeing this billion-dollar sector operates on crumbs.
The Sector Pulling the Economy – but Starved of Resources
According to the 2026 Budget Strategy Paper, mining is expected to grow by 7.6% in 2025 and 8.3% in 2026, driven by lithium, coal, and PGMs. But how can such growth be managed or sustained when the very Ministry responsible for exploration, licensing, cadastre, environmental monitoring, and ASM formalisation is under-resourced?
This contradiction — a billion-dollar industry supervised by a ministry with a barely hundred-million-dollar budget — borders on policy negligence.
In contrast, nations like Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia have heavily invested in mining cadastre systems, digital licensing, ESG frameworks, and exploration data. Zimbabwe, despite its mineral richness, continues to expect maximum output from minimal input.
Foreign Currency Cow, Budget Goat
The Government continues to milk the mining sector for foreign currency but refuses to adequately feed the cow.
Let’s recall that in just five months, the economy earned US$6 billion in foreign currency, with mining leading the charge. The sector also played a huge role in stabilising the exchange rate, strengthening the current account, and ensuring macroeconomic stability, as stated in the Budget Review. And yet, the Ministry is expected to enforce compliance, attract investment, regulate over 500,000 small-scale miners, and monitor ESG issues — with the lowest operational capacity among top-performing ministries.
This is akin to demanding Olympic performance from a barefoot athlete.
Budget Priorities Need Urgent Realignment
As of June 2025, only 35% of the national budget had been utilised. That means there’s still fiscal space to support the true drivers of economic growth, and mining must top that list. The Budget Strategy Paper correctly identifies mining as a pillar of value-chain-driven development, but policy recognition must now be followed by real resource allocation.
It’s not enough to praise mining’s contribution. We must fund it.
Time for the Finance Ministry to Finally Listen
For years, the Ministry of Finance has acknowledged mining’s potential. But talk alone doesn’t build cadastre systems, fund geological surveys, or formalise artisanal miners.
In 2026, the Ministry must break from tradition and meet the Mines Ministry’s full budget requirements. This includes funding:
- Provincial Mines Offices and inspectorate teams
- Up-to-date geological data collection
- A digital mining cadastre system
- Artisanal mining support centres
- Environmental compliance and ESG oversight
- Public-private partnerships in beneficiation
Let this be the year Zimbabwe feeds the hen that lays the golden eggs, not just claps when it delivers.
If we continue underfunding our most lucrative ministry, we are not being frugal—we are being foolish.
