Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Urged to Rethink Social Protection Funding Amid Rising Needs

What the report says

Zimbabwe should rethink how it pays for social protection so support for low-income and vulnerable households can keep pace with rising poverty, unemployment and climate-related shocks, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Mercy Dinha said, according to 263Chat via AllAfrica. She made the remarks at a Social Protection Conference in Bulawayo on 23 October 2026, where officials and other stakeholders discussed how to make safety nets more durable under tighter public finances.

Dinha said social protection needs to be treated as a long-term investment in stability, human capital and development, rather than only as emergency relief. She pointed to pressures facing governments in the region, including debt burdens, limited domestic revenue, uneven aid flows and rising demand linked to food insecurity, economic stress and extreme weather. She also said support should reach groups often left out of conventional programmes, including informal workers, women with unpaid caregiving roles, older people, people with disabilities and families hit by illness or the death of a breadwinner.

The deputy minister urged more diversified and transparent financing, including partnerships with the private sector, civil society, faith groups and development agencies, while keeping national priorities in view. She also called for a more integrated system that links cash assistance and social insurance with health, education, employment services and disaster response. The conference theme focused on reimagining social protection financing amid fiscal constraints and shifting needs, and Dinha said any reforms should align with Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 and poverty reduction goals.