Parliament urges bigger funding for women, SMEs as 31% of ministry budget goes unused
By Staff Reporter
BULAWAYO — Parliament has called for a larger share of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development budget to be directed towards frontline women’s empowerment, SME and cooperative programmes after the ministry left about 31% of its 2025 allocation unspent.
The Portfolio Committee on Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development said overall utilisation stood at 69% of the ministry’s ZWG1.056 billion annual budget.
The committee said the under-utilisation was most pronounced in the ministry’s SME and cooperative development programme, which spent only 53% of its allocation.
The committee said nearly ZWG121.73 million, or 47% of the SME and cooperative development programme’s budget, was not utilised by the end of the financial year.
It said this limited the ministry’s ability to support entrepreneurship, small-business development and job creation.
Programme 2, covering women affairs, gender mainstreaming and community development, also recorded under-expenditure of nearly ZWG144.34 million.
The committee said the shortfall affected women’s empowerment, livelihoods, community development and capacity-building programmes for women and vulnerable groups.
The ministry attributed the under-expenditure to limited Treasury releases and the absence of actual cash backing from the Accountant General’s Department for funds that had been released.
Despite the annual allocation giving the largest share 42% to Programme 2, Parliament said quarterly allocations were heavily tilted towards Policy and Administration.
In the fourth quarter, Policy and Administration received 73% of the quarterly allocation, compared with 15% for women affairs and community development, and 12% for SMEs and cooperatives.
The ministry said Policy and Administration housed about 75% of its staff and carried the wage bill. It also cited spending on a strategic-planning workshop and furniture and equipment for the newly appointed Deputy Minister.
Parliament said the allocation pattern meant activities that directly benefit the public, including women’s empowerment, community development, SME support and cooperative development, were not being adequately prioritised.
The committee recommended that the ministry, during the 2027 budget formulation process, submit a proposal that allocates a greater share of resources to Programmes 2 and 3.
It also called on Treasury to release quarterly allocations in line with approved cash-flow plans from the 2026 financial year to allow programmes to be implemented on time.
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