MARTIN MAWAYA
Zimbabwe’s 92 local authorities are set to come under unprecedented scrutiny after Government launched a nationwide survey that will rank councils on their ability to attract investment, deliver quality services and stimulate local economic growth.
The Rural and Urban Councils Competitiveness Index (RUCCI), being conducted by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) in partnership with the National Competitiveness Commission (NCC), shifts the focus from routine financial assessments to evaluating how effectively councils create an enabling environment for business and development.
The survey, which began on July 4 and ends on July 25, covers every city council, municipality, town council, local board and rural district councils across Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces.
Councils will be assessed on governance, infrastructure, service delivery, economic dynamism, innovation, investment attractiveness, sustainability, inclusiveness and resilience.
The exercise will produce Zimbabwe’s first competitiveness index for local authorities, creating a benchmark that could shape government policy, investment decisions and resource allocation.
In a joint statement, ZimStat Director General Tafadzwa Bandama and NCC Acting Executive Director Brighton Mushayanewako said the survey would “support the development of a comprehensive Rural and Urban Councils Competitiveness Index to rank all 92 local authorities on competitiveness.”
They said the findings would also “inform evidence based policy and planning, support targeted interventions to improve service delivery, guide resource allocation and promote investment attraction and inter-council learning.”
Businesses, residents’ associations and community leaders have been urged to cooperate with trained enumerators conducting face to face interviews using digital tablets.
The two institutions said all information collected would remain confidential under the Census and Statistics Act, with only aggregated results to be published.
