Online Reporter
Theseus Shambare
Herald Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S agricultural sector is set for a major lift, with the Government and the African Development Bank (AfDB) preparing a US$10 million package to expand fertiliser access and support commercial farming programmes.
The new initiative builds on the success of the Zimbabwe Emergency Food Production Facility, which distributed more than 19 000 metric tonnes of fertiliser to farmers, including commercial producers. Financed through a US$4,3 million facility, the programme, is due to conclude in October 2025.
Discussions on the follow-up plan took place on the sidelines of the Africa Food Systems Forum 2025 in Dakar, Senegal, where Zimbabwe’s Permanent Secretary for Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Professor Obert Jiri, met with AfDB coordinator Ms Marie Clare Kalihangabo and programme development specialist Mr Noel Ujeneza.
The forum, running until September 5 under the theme “Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation, and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation,” provided a platform for mapping Zimbabwe’s next steps in agricultural development.
Ms Kalihangabo said the AfDB’s African Fertiliser Financing Mechanism (AFFM) was encouraged by the results of the initial programme.
“We had a very successful programme with US$4,3 million, which allowed AFFM to work with a fertiliser company to distribute over 19 000 metric tonnes of fertiliser to farmers, including commercial producers.
“We plan to have a similar programme in Zimbabwe and use the remaining guarantee financing to expand into regions not covered before,” she said.
The upcoming programme will be anchored on an innovative financing model supported by the Agricultural Financial Services Group (AFSG), which allows farmers to access fertiliser upfront and reimburse costs after harvest.
“This arrangement reduces pressure on farmers and will undoubtedly boost fertiliser uptake across the country,” Professor Jiri said, adding that such partnerships are key to Zimbabwe’s food security ambitions.
Alongside this, a separate US$6 million project targeting Masvingo and Matabeleland South provinces is already underway.
Initiated in 2024, it aims to integrate all Village Business Units (VBUs) in these provinces while promoting commercial farming practices.
Mr Ujeneza praised Zimbabwe’s VBU model as a benchmark for regional agricultural transformation.
“We see Zimbabwe’s VBU approach as a model that can be replicated in other African countries, and we are working to extend the upgraded version 4.1 into more provinces here,” he said.
