Zimbabwe Government Bans Foreign Trips and Workshops

Zimbabwe Government Bans Foreign Trips and Workshops

The Zimbabwean government has introduced strict cost-cutting measures to manage an end-of-year financial crunch, including banning foreign trips and government workshops.

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Budget Cuts and Fiscal Tightening

In a letter dated November 13, Finance Secretary George Guvamatanga informed all accounting officers that fuel allocations to ministries and government departments would be cut by 50 percent. The letter also revealed a growing imbalance between government revenue and expenditure, exacerbated by the recent depreciation of the local currency.

“As you maybe aware, the local currency unit ZwG recently depreciated by 43 percent against the United States dollar resulting in a substantial mismatch between revenue inflows, collected in some cases with a one-month lag, and local currency expenditures that immediately adjusted to the new exchange rate, in the process severely constraining fiscal space for the last quarter of 2024,” Guvamatanga wrote.

With limited resources, the government will prioritize critical areas, such as the payment of civil servant bonuses, food aid, and agricultural support. Non-essential spending, including operational support for ministries, will be severely reduced.

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Zimbabwe Government Bans Foreign Trips and Workshops

Effective immediately, Guvamatanga stated that treasury approval for foreign trips will only be granted if they are funded independently, without using state funds. Furthermore, all local workshops are postponed unless they have received prior approval from the Treasury.

There will also be a 50 percent reduction in fuel allocations for government operations. Guvamatanga emphasized that these measures are necessary to cope with the current fiscal challenges.

“Treasury concurrence for foreign travels shall only be granted where funding is provided by agencies other than Government, local authorities and State-owned enterprises. Local workshops are henceforth deferred with the exception of those granted prior approval by Treasury,” he said.

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