ZimStat, National Competitiveness Commission embark on nationwide survey to assess local authorities

THE Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat), in collaboration with the National Competitiveness Commission (NCC), has begun a nationwide survey that will assess and rank the competitiveness of all 92 local authorities as part of efforts to strengthen governance, improve service delivery and attract investment.

The 2026 Rural and Urban Councils Competitiveness Index (RUCCI) Survey, which commenced on July 4 and will run until July 25, covers all local authorities across Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces, including city councils, municipalities, town councils, local boards and rural district councils.

In a joint statement, ZimStat Director-General Tafadzwa Bandama and NCC Acting Executive Director Brighton Mushayanewako said the survey seeks “to establish a national baseline on the competitiveness of local authorities.”

They said competitive councils were vital to the country’s development.

“Competitive local authorities play a critical role in creating an environment that supports business, investment, innovation and a better quality of life for residents,” the statement said.

To achieve this, the survey will assess local authorities on governance, economic dynamism, infrastructure, service delivery, innovation, investment attractiveness, sustainability, inclusiveness and resilience.

According to the two institutions, the information generated will be used “to support the development of a comprehensive Rural and Urban Councils Competitiveness Index to rank all 92 local authorities on competitiveness.”

The findings will also “inform evidence-based policy and planning at national and local level; support targeted interventions to improve service delivery; guide resources allocation to enhance local economic development; promote investment attraction and inter-council learning and provide a tool for benchmarking performance over time.”

The agencies noted that the initiative mirrors international best practice.

“RUCCI follows international best practice where subnational competitiveness assessments have become an important tool for improving local government performance and strengthening national competitiveness. Countries such as Kenya, India, China and the Philippines have used similar surveys to benchmark council performance, improve governance, attract investment and promote local economic growth,” the statement further said.

Data collection is being conducted through face-to-face interviews using Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) technology on tablet computers.

Trained ZimStat enumerators are interviewing designated senior officials within each local authority, as well as businesses and households with access to the required information.

The two organisations appealed for cooperation from all stakeholders to ensure the success of the exercise.

“ZimStat and NCC appeal to all local authorities, business member organisations, residents’ associations, businesses, residents and community leaders to cooperate fully with enumerators by providing accurate, complete and timely information,” the statement said.

The agencies also assured respondents that information collected would remain confidential.

“All data collected will be treated with strict confidentiality in accordance with the Census and Statistics Act (Chapter 10:29). Individual responses will not be disclosed. Results will be published only in aggregate form.”

Bandama and Mushayanewako said the success of the exercise hinged on broad stakeholder participation.

“The successful implementation of the RUCCI survey depends on the cooperation of all stakeholders. Together, we can build a stronger evidence base to guide national and local development planning, and strengthen Zimbabwe’s competitiveness agenda,” they said.

The RUCCI survey is expected to provide Zimbabwe with its first comprehensive benchmark of the competitiveness of rural and urban councils, enabling government, investors and residents to objectively assess local authority performance while identifying areas requiring policy intervention and institutional improvement.

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