Gideon Madzikatidze/Simbarashe Sithole
HARARE – The Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) has registered 17,000 suppliers in the first quarter of 2026 alone, with Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Clever Ruswa declaring the authority is breaking down barriers and ending the perception that public procurement is reserved for elites and urbanites.
Speaking during an interview with The Blast in Harare this Wednesday, Dr. Ruswa said PRAZ’s digital and outreach drive was deliberately targeting inclusivity, including rural and hard-to-reach communities previously marginalised from government tenders.
“We are demystifying this notion to say public procurement is only for the elites and urbanites,” Ruswa said.
“We reach out to the committees… to those rural districts and other provinces with the same information,” he added.
He broke down the Q1 figures: of the 17,000 suppliers registered between January and March 2026, less than 4,000 were classified as “large.” The majority, he said, were small to medium enterprises (SMEs) that PRAZ is now deliberately “hand-holding” to grow into industrial players.
“Value for money is no longer just about pricing. We are also talking of people providing quality goods and services. That is why we are engaging with communities,” he said
The CEO credited the rollout of the electronic Government Procurement system (eGP) and the National Standard Price List (NSPL) 2026 for easing access and boosting transparency. He said PRAZ, in partnership with stakeholders are conducting outreach programs in districts to educate SMEs on bidding, compliance, and value for money.
“We look forward to continue engaging especially the small to medium enterprise businesses,” he added, referencing President Mnangagwa’s vision of growing SMEs into full industrialists.
Dr. Ruswa stressed that procurement reform is now centered on equity, accessibility and accountability, not exclusivity.
“We are at the center of what we are trying to achieve,” he said.
The 17,000 new registrations in just three months signal a major shift in Zimbabwe’s public procurement landscape, as PRAZ moves to ensure the rural poor and small businesses are no longer locked out of government contracts.