Source: President’s State of the Nation Address 2025
PRESIDENT’S STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS
Yesterday His Excellency the President opened the new session of Parliament and delivered his State of the Nation Address to a joint sitting of the Senate and the National Assembly. At the same time he announced the Government’s legislative agenda for the new session.
His address is set out below, taken from Hansard:
First Lady, Dr. A. Mnangagwa, in absentia;
Vice President, Hon. Gen. (Rtd.) Dr. C. G. D. N. Chiwenga, in absentia;
Vice President, Hon. Col. (Rtd.) Dr. K. C. D. Mohadi;
Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Advocate J. F. N. Mudenda;
President of the Senate, Hon. M. M. Chinomona;
Chief Justice, Hon. L. Malaba;
Hon. Ministers;
President of the Chiefs’ Council, Chief M. Khumalo, and other Traditional Leaders here present;
Hon. Members of Parliament and the Senate;
Senior Government Officials;
Commander, Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Gen. P. V. Sibanda;
Service Chiefs;
Fellow Zimbabweans here at home and in the Diaspora;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Comrades and Friends:
I am once again singularly honoured and privileged to address this august House, marking the Third Session of the Tenth Parliament of Zimbabwe.
The Official Opening of the Third Session of the Tenth Parliament comes in the wake of the commemorations of the SADC Anti-Sanctions Day. The sanctions notwithstanding, I am extremely grateful to all our citizens, including those in the Diaspora for contributing to the grand task of nation-building in a peaceful and tranquil environment. The unity, peace and resilience of our people have been the pillar of economic development of our country in the face of the illegal sanctions. Let us remain focused and disciplined as we entrench the current economic stability and growth in our march towards Vision 2030.
The national economy is projected to grow by 6.6% in 2025, anchored on the recovery in the agricultural sector, with record harvests of tobacco, maize and wheat, among other crops.
These are a result of the implementation of the Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy. Under the Strategy, the Pfumvudza/Intwasa Programme has empowered over three million households with inputs.
The livestock sector continues to grow, with the national herd now at 5.7 million; while milk production has increased from 76.7 million litres in 2019 to 115 million litres in 2024.
Through the Rural Development 8.0 initiative, boreholes that are being drilled and resuscitated by my Administration are ensuring access to water for production, village business units and domestic use.
The area under irrigation has expanded from 151 000 hectares in 2019 to 221 000 hectares in 2024. We are well on course to reach our target of 496 000 hectares. These initiatives have gone a long way in our quest to build climate-resilience, mitigation and adaptation.
Meanwhile, the modernisation of the Grain Marketing Board is ongoing, in line with new technologies, with the construction of 14 new Artificial Intelligence driven silo sites resulting in an additional 750 000 tonnes of storage capacity. The accelerated issuance of bankable and registrable title deeds for A1 and A2 farmers, as well as Deeds of Grant for previously African Purchase Areas is set to have transformational impacts in our agricultural sector.
Mr. Speaker Sir, Madam President; the mining sector has witnessed increased investments in gold, lithium, iron and steel production. The commissioning of new plants, independent power generating units and energy parks, among others, are ensuring that all sectors achieve targets with regards value addition, beneficiation, job creation, and growth of our Gross Domestic Product.
The Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill has been gazetted and is expected to be finalised during the current session of Parliament. My Government is committed to weeding out irresponsible mining stakeholders who cause pollution, degradation of the environment and damage to critical infrastructure, hatizvidi. As we welcome investors in our jurisdiction, we expect that they will adhere to the Constitution and laws of our country, while also respecting our people, customs and culture.
Mr. Speaker Sir, Madame President: since my last address, the manufacturing sector registered a 15.3% contribution to GDP. The success is attributable to significant investments in the steel, cement, dairy, cotton-to-clothing, and pharmaceutical value chains, among others. The Zimbabwe Industrial Reconstruction and Growth Plan, rural industrialisation and the Community Economic Empowerment Trusts will result in increased production, leveraging on our resource endowments. I urge our people to take advantage of the new policy approved by Cabinet on Community Economic Empowerment Trusts and Reserved Sectors.
My Government has reviewed licences, permits, levies and fees as well as the multiple regulatory requirements across all sectors to enhance the country’s ease of doing business, reduction of costs and the competitiveness of the local industry. The respective Statutory Instruments and statutes will be accordingly amended.
Tourism is emerging as a critical pillar in our nation’s economic transformation. The sector’s solid performance has received global recognition with Zimbabwe being recently awarded the Best Must-Visit Destination in the World accolade by Forbes Magazine. Accordingly, Parliament is hereby called upon to expedite the passage of the Tourism Amendment Bill in order to sufficiently support the sector’s growth trajectory.
A number of Independent Power Producers (IPPs), Captive Power Producers (CPPs), commercial and industrial players have been licensed. Their on-boarding into our national grid has increased the power supply.
The Rural Electrification Programme, that is electrifying both public institutions and homesteads throughout the country, is improving energy access by our rural communities. No one and no place will be left behind.
Meanwhile, the country continues to enjoy adequate fuel supplies, benefiting from upgrading of the pipeline capacity to three billion litres per annum. Pipeline capacity will be further upgraded to handle five billion litres per annum.
Infrastructure upgrading and development projects are steadily progressing through innovative funding models by Treasury, private sector financing as well as support from development partners.
Completion, rehabilitation and upgrading of the Harare-Chirundu Road; Christmas Pass by-pass; Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road; Chirundu Border Post; and Forbes Border Post, remain top priority. The construction of other road infrastructure, such as interchanges at strategic points in our cities, are on the cards, with the Trabablas Interchange now operational.
Notable progress has been registered in implementing the Zimbabwe Integrated Transport Information Management System Project, which includes automating services at the Vehicle Inspectorate Department, Central Vehicle Registry, and Road Motor Transportation.
Mr. Speaker Sir and Madam President: the tight monetary and fiscal environment in the economy have remained favourable to support sustained economic activity. My Government is diligently implementing the necessary policies, measures and initiatives to
maintain currency stability of the ZiG and inflation.
Going into the future, the trend in macro-economic stability is expected to become the status quo in our country.
The country’s foreign currency generation capacity continues to strengthen. Inflows stood at USD10.4 billion as of August 2025, an upward increase of 26.8% from the USD8.3 billion recorded during the same period last year.
Consequently, foreign currency reserves increased to about USD900 million as at the end of September 2025, up from USD700 million in June 2025. In recognition of this effort, the World Bank recently ranked Zimbabwe first among the top 10 countries in the world that have made significant progress in foreign currency reserve accumulation – hatina influence neWorld Bank, vakangozviona voga.
On the fiscal front, I am pleased to advise that we remain steadfast in strengthening sustainable resource mobilisation strategies to ensure provision of public services. Enhanced fiscal capacity has allowed Government to extend social benefits to vulnerable groups under Social Protection Programmes, including the Food Deficit Mitigation Programme, the Basic Education Assistance Module and the Vulnerable Agriculture Input Scheme. These interventions reflect our unwavering commitment to building a comprehensive and resilient social protection system that safeguards women, children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly, among others.
Our health sector is undergoing a significant development programme focusing on strengthening human resources, improving health financing, and modernising infrastructure and technology. These efforts aim to improve healthcare access and quality, with a focus on maternal and child health, disease prevention, and digital health integration.
Similarly, in the education sector, key initiatives include human capital development, promoting entrepreneurship, creating public-private partnerships for infrastructure, and increasing access to education to a broader array of our students, in particular the vulnerable.
Furthermore, my Government remains committed to driving innovation for national growth and delivering a beneficial knowledge economy. The Digital Ambassadors Programme, thus, aims to equip young people with digital skills and enhance ICT literacy. It is worth highlighting that my Government recently adopted the Zimbabwe National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy, designed to harness the economic potential of AI, while mitigating its undesirable impacts.
Mr. Speaker Sir and Madam President: several new laws have been promulgated, and the existing ones continue to be amended to eliminate gender imbalances and promote the achievement of gender equality. This should see increased participation of women across value chains. So, my menfolk should not complain when I continue to promote women.
The launch of the National Youth Empowerment Strategy 2026-2030, is transformative towards harnessing the potential of our young people in national development. Additionally, the upgrade of vocational training centres will see a stronger base for industrial growth. This will improve quality, relevance and inclusivity of the vocational skills training programmes.
My Government is providing welfare services to Veterans of the Liberation Struggle, Heroes’ Dependents and War Victims, as well as empowering and mainstreaming all categories of Veterans to fully participate in the economy and guarantee their welfare. In that regard, the Presidential War Veterans Empowerment Revolving Fund; the Presidential War Veterans Empowerment Programme; and the Presidential Empowerment Scheme for Children of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle were launched.
After successful implementation of the Food Deficit Mitigation Strategy during the El-Nino-induced drought experienced during the 2023-2024 Summer Cropping Season, Government will continue with the programme to cater for food insecure households. Our ZANU PF-led Government will also continue with harmonised Social-Cash-Transfers to increase the purchasing power of vulnerable groups.
Regrettably, the scourge of drug and substance abuse remains a major concern to all communities in our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe. Comprehensive and all-encompassing strategies are being implemented by all stakeholders in our country to mitigate the negative impact of this menace. We commend the coming on board of more civic society organisations, including the Angel of Hope Foundation, and the private sector in the fight against drug and substance abuse.
Mr. Speaker Sir and Madam President: Government has made strides in upgrading the media landscape through modernisation of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation’s Montrose Studio in Bulawayo. Additionally, the ZBC’s Luzibo Radio, which is a new education channel, was established in order to bring educational content directly to learners across the country The enactment of the Broadcasting Services Amendment Act has introduced very progressive media reforms, which broadened the scope of the Act to encompass, among other issues, the emerging digital broadcasting services.
I am pleased to highlight that substantial progress has been recorded in the implementation of the Local Government blueprint “Call to Action – No Compromise to Service Delivery.” All Local Authorities have developed Master Plans, and all 92 Councils completed Valuation Rolls, with 91 of them having deployed Enterprise Resource Planning systems to modernise their operations. Only one is left.
In response to climate change, my Government has adopted the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan. The Carbon Trading Framework and Registry, outlined in Statutory Instrument 48 of 2025, is set to unlock climate finance and promote mitigation efforts across all sectors. Relatedly, water security is emerging as a critical challenge, with implications for energy and food systems. In this regard, my Government is scaling-up integrated water resource management and investments.
In line with our Engagement and Re-engagement Programme, my Government is implementing its Policy on Foreign Relations and International Cooperation. In this regard, Zimbabwe remains committed to further deepening political, economic, educational, scientific, innovation and cultural relations with all countries of the international community. We are pleased to have won the bid to host the Continental Headquarters of the Intra-Africa Trade Fair Company.
The importance of timeous discharge of legislative duties reposed to Parliament cannot be over-emphasized. Parliament is reminded that laws passed by this august House carry the aspirations of our people and they consist of synchro-policies for implementation by the Executive. It is, therefore, critically important that the law making processes be expedited for the efficient operation of State apparatus. Collectively, we have a duty to sustain the prevailing confidence that the people of our country have in our current system.
Legislative Programme
Allow me now to turn to the legislative programme which the Third Session of the Tenth Parliament must pursue with renew vigour and focus. The outstanding Bills from the First and Second Sessions that were presented to Parliament must be concluded. These include the following: Occupational Safety and Health Bill; Public Service Amendment Bill; State Service (Pensions) Bill; Pipelines Amendment Bill; Persons with Disabilities Bill; Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Amendment Bill; Mines and Minerals Bill; Insurance and Pensions Amendment Bill; and Zimbabwe School Examinations Council Amendment Bill.
Regrettably, there are additional Bills that I announced during the Official Opening of the Second Session of the Tenth Parliament of Zimbabwe that have not been presented to Parliament. These include the Teaching Professions Council Bill; Electronic Transactions and Electronic Commerce Bill; Standards Bill; Biological Warfare Bill; Legal Practitioners Amendment Bill and Rural Electrification Fund Amendment Bill, among others. The total backlog of outstanding Bills is unacceptable. I challenge this august House to do more to ensure that these Bills are brought before Parliament and finalised.
Mr. Speaker Sir and Madam President; allow me to now outline the new Bills that will form part of the agenda of this august House during the course of the Third Session of the Tenth Parliament of Zimbabwe.
With regard to the industry and commerce sub-sectors, the National Productivity Institute Bill seeks to create the Zimbabwe productivity institute, to drive increased productivity across all our industries. Amendments will be made to foundational laws, including the Iron and Steel Industry Act and the Sugar Production Control Act.
To further protect our consumers from a fast-changing economic environment, amendments to the Competition Act are now a necessity. Meanwhile, Government is finalising amendments to the
Commercial Premises (Lease Control) Act to create fairness in the commercial rental market.
Amendment of the Research Act aims at establishing a deliberate and sustainable framework for funding research to facilitate adequate resources for research institutions. This is in line with my Administration’s on-going quest to promote locally developed solutions and innovation, while reducing dependence on imported technologies.
In the higher and tertiary education sector, Government is working on a legislative framework for the accelerated commercialisation of products emanating from our innovation hubs. A notable number of Bills are set to be tabled before this august House from our transport sector for enactment and amendment.
Equally, Bills that relate to the devolution and decentralisation agenda, as well as the broader local governance arena, will be presented before this esteemed body. To mitigate disaster and other unforeseen catastrophes, the Civil Protection Act will be repealed and replaced with the proposed Disaster Risk Management Bill.
Other Bills to be considered include the Zimbabwe Media Commission Amendment Bill; Meteorological Services Amendment Bill; Foreign Affairs and International Trade Bill; Sport, Leisure and Recreation Bill; Sports Integrity Bill; National Languages Bill; as well as amendments to the Veterans of the Liberation Act; National Heroes Act; and War Victims Compensation Act.
Mr. Speaker Sir and Madam President; the Police Amendment Bill, which lapsed with the dissolution of the Ninth Parliament, should be re-introduced in this Session. To consolidate the management and administration of aspects relating to our Home Affairs, the following laws should be considered for amendment: the Unlawful Organisations Act; Official Secrets Act; National Archives of Zimbabwe Act; the Censorship and Entertainments Control Act, Lotteries and Gaming Act; the Citizenship Act; and the Private Investigators and Security Guards (Control) Act.
In line with the Constitutional mandate of safeguarding the country’s Independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest and contribution to international peace and security, the Ministry of Defence will be required to table the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Arms Trade Treaty as well as The Red Cross Amendment Bill and the Defence Amendment Bill.
The following Protocols, Treaties and Agreements will be brought for ratification: Protocol Amending the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Amendment Protocol of 2005; Lisbon Treaty to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications; and the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs. The Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by land, sea and air; as well as the Protocol on the Trafficking of Firearms, their Parts, Components and Ammunition, will be tabled during this Session of Parliament.
Mr. Speaker Sir and Madam President: as I conclude, may I pay special tribute to the Honourable Members of Parliament. Your tireless, individual and collective efforts, towards advancing the development and prosperity of our great motherland, Zimbabwe is commended. Through your wholehearted service and representation of the grass-roots communities, you all continue to consolidate our people-centred and participatory governance.
As we keep marching towards Vision 2030, let us remain close to the people, in good times and throughout the seasons of challenges. We should never get tired of preaching hope, unity and peace, as one indivisible nation. Be assured that a better quality of life for all the people of our country, is at the core of the policies and projects of my Administration. No one and no place will be left behind.
As we approach the summer cropping season, I urge Hon. Members of Parliament to continually lead from the front and encourage increased production and productivity across all our communities. Together, we must guarantee adequate preparations for this agriculture season and yet another bumper harvest for our nation.
The guiding beacon remains our shared national development philosophy, Nyika inovakwa, igotongwa, igonamatirwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa, libuswe, likhulekelwe ngabanikazi balo.
We the people of this great nation are building our motherland, Zimbabwe, step by step, brick by brick and stone upon stone. There is no turning back. Victory, success and prosperity are certain. Forward ever, backward never!
With these remarks, it is now my singular honour and privilege to table this State of the Nation Address before the august House. I equally declare the Third Session of the Tenth Parliament of Zimbabwe officially open.
God bless you all.
God bless Zimbabwe.
I thank you.
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