Radio coverage hits 81% amid funding woes in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe expanded radio signal reach from 70 percent to 81 percent despite budget constraints, but Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana warned lawmakers on Tuesday that the progress cannot continue without more money. The Information Ministry requested 2.1 billion Zimbabwe Gold dollars for 2026 operations after using district-level assessments to calculate needs, but officials allocated just 533 million dollars to the agency. Mangwana told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Media that district staff work without adequate offices or vehicles, and some employees drive cars purchased in 2008. Signal carrier Transmedia requested 487 million dollars to maintain towers and build new transmitters, but the company received only 3 million dollars from budget authorities.
