The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has launched an ambitious 2025–2029 Stakeholder Service Charter, signalling a renewed commitment to efficiency, transparency, and responsive service delivery to its stakeholders and the wider public. Officially unveiled in August 2025, the charter represents a formal pledge from the central bank to strengthen trust, enhance accountability, and align its operations with its national mandate.
In his foreword to the document, Governor Dr J. Mushayavanhu expressed the bank’s dedication to delivering world-class service. “This charter outlines the Reserve Bank’s commitment to upholding the highest standards of service delivery, leveraging the immense skills and vast experience endowed in its dedicated staff,” he stated.
The charter is positioned as both a promise to stakeholders and a practical framework to guide the bank’s work, outlining clear service standards and expectations for all areas of the institution.
According to the RBZ, the primary aim of the Stakeholder Service Charter is “to articulate the Reserve Bank’s commitment to high-quality service delivery by clearly defining service standards, setting expectations, and promoting transparency regarding its responsibility to stakeholders.”
The charter is designed to serve as a practical guide for staff and a benchmark for the public, detailing specific commitments across the bank’s divisions, from the Office of the Governor to Banking Operations and Fintech Innovation.
RBZ Unveils Five-Year Stakeholder Service Charter to Boost Transparency and Efficiency
Among the key service standards outlined in the charter:
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Responding to correspondence addressed to the Governor within 48 hours.
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Processing certain licensing applications within 60 days.
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Maintaining at least 95% uptime for national payment systems.
These measures, the bank says, are intended to build reliability, foster stakeholder confidence, and reduce delays in service delivery.
The RBZ emphasises that the charter is part of its broader vision of becoming an “Innovative World-Class Central Bank.” It is designed to support the bank’s long-term goals, particularly macroeconomic stabilisation, in line with Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy.
“The continued efforts to enhance the quality of stakeholder service delivery will effectively contribute to macroeconomic stabilisation,” the charter notes, underlining the connection between service excellence and national economic objectives.
The launch of the charter also reinforces the RBZ’s dedication to its core values, encapsulated in the acronym MISTIC:
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Mutual Respect & Teamwork
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Integrity
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Sustainability
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Transparency
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Innovativeness
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Commitment
A public notice accompanying the launch stressed that the charter is “a cornerstone in our journey to durably anchor and consolidate macroeconomic stability,” signalling a shift toward greater accountability and openness in the bank’s operations.
The charter also formalises a complaints handling process to ensure that stakeholder concerns are addressed efficiently and transparently. Stakeholders now have a clear escalation pathway, starting from the Director of Corporate Affairs, then moving to the Deputy Governors, and finally to the Governor’s office if needed.
Each stage of the complaints process has defined turnaround times for acknowledgement and resolution, ensuring that grievances are managed systematically and fairly.
The charter will run for a five-year period but will be reviewed annually to incorporate stakeholder feedback and adapt to changes in the operational environment. This iterative approach is intended to ensure that the charter remains relevant, responsive, and aligned with emerging needs.
The launch of the Stakeholder Service Charter coincides with other RBZ initiatives aimed at strengthening public confidence, including a perception and confidence survey on the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency, currently running until December 2025. These initiatives collectively demonstrate the bank’s commitment to transparency and public engagement.
By introducing the Stakeholder Service Charter, the RBZ is signalling a shift toward a more open, accountable, and service-oriented central bank. It is a tangible step in building greater trust between the institution and its partners — including government entities, financial institutions, businesses, international organisations, and the public.
For Governor Mushayavanhu, the charter is more than a document — it is a public commitment to walk the talk. “This charter is a pledge that the RBZ will continually uphold the highest service standards while fostering trust, transparency, and innovation,” he emphasised.
As Zimbabwe continues to navigate economic reforms and modernise its financial systems, the charter sets a benchmark for public sector accountability and positions the Reserve Bank as a central player in driving service excellence for the nation’s long-term stability.
Source- iHarare
