The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (the Bank) met on 29 April 2022 to discuss the recent macroeconomic and financial developments and their impact on the economy. The Committee noted with concern the recent uptick in month-on-month inflation, from 7.7% in March to 15.5% in April 2022, and the increase in annual inflation from 72.7% in March to 96.4% in April 2022. The increase in inflation was as a result of a combination of global shocks and the pass-through effects of the recent exchange rate depreciation on the parallel market, with a significant proportion of the inflationary pressures emanating from the impact of the o n-going Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The Committee noted with satisfaction that the economic fundamentals have remained strong to support a stable exchange rate as evidenced by a favourable current account balance, positive growth of the real sector, public works undertaken by Government, fiscal sustainability and a tight monetary policy stance. The positive trend in foreign currency generation has seen the country realising US$2.4 billion in foreign currency receipts during the first quarter of 2022, an increase of 15.9% compared to foreign currency received during the same period in 2021. The foreign currency receipts were against foreign payments of US$1.8 billion, leaving a surplus of US$1.9 billion. Money supply has also remained largely under control, with reserve money remaining stable at levels of around ZW$28 billion for the past six months, while annual growth in broad money fell from 384% in March 2021 to 151% in March 2022.
