NGO Workers Secure USD Salaries as New Wage Deal Allows ZiG Payments Elsewhere

By Staff Reporter
A newly introduced wage agreement has established a structured salary system that guarantees United States dollar (US$) payments for employees in the NGO sector, while allowing other sectors to pay either in US dollars or in the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) equivalent.

The arrangement, announced by government spokesperson Nick Mangwana on April 9, 2026, is anchored in Statutory Instrument 185 of 2020. This regulation permits employers outside the NGO sector to convert wages into local currency using the prevailing interbank rate, or whichever rate is more favourable to employees.

Under the new pay structure, significant disparities emerge across sectors. NGO workers receive the highest base salaries, with a Grade A1 employee earning US$445.20 per month, rising to US$1,397.23 for those at Grade C5. In contrast, other sectors have lower salary benchmarks, even though they are also initially pegged in US dollars.

Mangwana clarified that while all wages in the Collective Bargaining Agreement are denominated in US dollars, only NGOs are mandated to pay strictly in USD. Other employers retain the option to convert salaries into ZiG in line with the statutory framework.

Allowances follow a similar model. Housing allowances are fixed at US$150 per month for NGOs, Independent A schools, mission boarding schools, and welfare groups across categories A, B, and C. Transport allowances for these groups are set at US$80 monthly.

The wage framework applies broadly across institutions, including trust schools, private early childhood development centres, mission hospitals and clinics, religious administrative offices, tertiary institutions, and church-related establishments.

However, workers in sectors that opt to pay in ZiG face uncertainty, as the actual value of their earnings will fluctuate depending on the exchange rate applied on payday.