Sikhulekelani Moyo
Zimpapers Business Hub
INFORMATION, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere has appealed to Treasury to allocate more resources to the media sector to capacitate its operations, unlock more opportunities, and ensure it achieves the strategic communication goals for national development.
He was speaking in Bulawayo yesterday at the 2026 Pre-Budget Seminar where he sought an upward revision of the budget allocation for the ministry to meet its objectives in line with the National Development Strategy.
Dr Muswere said the ministry’s mission was to preserve and advance Zimbabwe’s founding values, identity, and strategic interests on the global stage through a modern, diversified, and inclusive information and communication industry.
He said this mission was anchored on being a real-time disseminator of Zimbabwean information locally and globally, with a clear mission to mold cohesive national consciousness that defends, upholds, and promotes Zimbabwe’s founding values, identity, and interests.
The ministry’s thrust is guided by two programmes — policy and administration, and information and publicity.
“The total budget bid is for ZWG2,8 billion and the provisional allocation is ZWG381,6 million, which clearly reflects that there is a financing gap of ZWG2,4 billion for both programme one and two, which reflects an 86 percent financing gap,” said Dr Muswere.
“Treasury’s prioritisation of these capital requirements would enable the ministry to enhance Government visibility and responsiveness to public needs, strengthen national events coordination and foster a united national identity, ensure sustainable and cost-effective resource management through strategic asset acquisition, support the ministry’s strategic outreach to build trust, inclusivity, and engagement all across the entirety of the country.”
Dr Muswere said their 2026 strategic priorities include the completion of the Zimbabwe digital project, which is behind by more than a decade, content apps to generate film drama in all the 10 provinces, the installation of outdoor public viewing screens, the creation of a new creative industry based on heritage, the promotion of public debate spaces and media literacy, and the establishment of two-way communication systems including digital analytical systems.
He also said there is a need for restructuring in terms of the devolution in service-wide devolution and job evaluation exercise that was conducted by the public service commission, national coverage and creation of three new television channels, acquisition of tools and manpower development, ensuring that every voice is heard and contribution to national development, capacitation of the film school and the modernisation of ZBC’s Pockets Hill Film.
Meanwhile, Dr Muswere said the ministry had an approved original budget allocation of ZWG533 million for the year 2025, with the accumulated expenditure to October 31, 2025, of ZWG289 million, which translates to 54 percent against the original budget allocation.
“We’ve underfunded our payments running up to ZWG113 million dollars,” he said.
Regardless of funding gaps, Dr Muswere said the ministry’s major achievements during the year 2025 included disseminating information on all domestic and international Government programmes, branding all domestic and international Government programmes, expansion of national radio coverage through the installation of radio transmitters, conducting media tours, reshaping the national narrative on Government development programmes and also the amplification of positive messaging on the people of Zimbabwe, the country and the Government.
The ministry also managed to establish community radio stations, the modernisation and operationalisation of Montrose Television studios and radio studios in Bulawayo, as well as the enactment and launch of the Integrated Zimbabwe Media Policy.
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