×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

$2,8m for bolstering Parly, AG’s Office

Business
The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has availed a $2,8 million grant to finance the strengthening of two key institutions — Parliament and the Office of the Auditor-General.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has availed a $2,8 million grant to finance the strengthening of two key institutions — Parliament and the Office of the Auditor-General.

BY FIDELITY MHLANGA

The financing is coming under the Strengthening Institutions of Transparency and Accountability Project (SITAP) through the African Development Fund.

The financing aim will reinforce the effectiveness of Parliament, improved capacity of the Auditor-General’s Office and project management support.

The bank’s board of directors okayed the funding to the project on July 10 which is expected to be implemented between September 2015 and December 2018. AfDB’s resident representative in Zimbabwe Mateus Magala said in a statement the project was designed in consultation with key stakeholders.

“Building upon previous and on-going Bank supported capacity building programmes and complementing other development partners’ interventions, the project aims at strengthening oversight institutions and building capacity in areas of accountability. It will also strengthen the trust between State institutions such as the Parliament of Zimbabwe and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), thereby contributing to advance the effective implementation of the social contract,” he said.

The project’s broad development objective is to improve transparency and accountability in the public sector, promote gender equality for inclusive and sustainable economic development.

The various interventions are expected among others, to result in establishing a Parliament Budget Office, aligning laws with the new Republican Constitution, revising laws with greater impact on women’s right and gender, training of women caucus members.

The Bank’s current portfolio in Zimbabwe constitutes of eight active operations with a total commitment of $80 million in support of rehabilitating Kariba Dam, improving economic and financial governance, enhancing youth and tourism development, as well as developing a transport sector master plan.

The AfDB also manages four development projects to the tune of $139,8 million funded by the seven countries which contribute to the Zimbabwe Multi-Donor Trust Fund (Zim Fund).

The countries are Australia, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

ZimFund has also been instrumental in rehabilitating key water and sanitation and energy infrastructure in the country.