Online Reporter
Prosper Ndlovu, National Editor
WE continue from our first instalment where Zimpapers National Editor, Prosper Ndlovu (PN), engages in an in-depth conversation with youthful businessman Mr Jermaine James Chapfiwa (JC), Zimbabwe’s country representative and chairman of the International Trade Council Zimbabwe Chapter on Zimbabwe’s aggressive drive to expand trade with the African region and the world at large.
As one of Southern Africa’s fast-growing economies, Zimbabwe is positioning itself to capture a larger share of this emerging regional trade opportunity. Driven by accelerating technology adoption, domestic value addition and beneficiation, alongside rising private-sector investment supported by Government reforms and incentives, the country is seeking to strengthen its productive capacity, expand exports and maximise the benefits of AfCFTA for its economy and people.
PN: Zimbabwe has significant potential in sectors such as mining, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and renewable energy. Which sectors do you believe are best positioned to attract international investment through the International Trade Council’s global network and why?
JC: The strongest propositions are those where Zimbabwe has a clear comparative advantage and where projects can demonstrate a credible route to revenue. I would place value-added mining and mining services, renewable energy and enabling infrastructure, agro-processing, export-oriented manufacturing, tourism, and selected digital and logistics services among the most promising.
Zida’s recent reporting points to strong investor interest in energy and infrastructure, while mining continues to account for substantial licensing activity. In mining, the opportunity is not only extraction but beneficiation, engineering, inputs, energy, logistics and transparent local supply chains.
In agriculture, the investment case strengthens when it moves from primary production into irrigation, storage, cold chain, processing, packaging and export distribution. S.I. 23 and S.I. 24 of 2026 provide greater financing flexibility in the cotton and tobacco value chains, while the seed-certification requirements in S.I. 61 of 2025 reinforce the importance of quality and compliance.
Manufacturing is supported by targeted customs measures, including S.I. 11, S.I. 30, S.I. 31 and S.I. 32 of 2026, together with subsequent measures such as S.I. 72 and S.I. 73 of 2026 for printing, packaging and furniture value chains. S.I. 35 of 2025 provides a rebate framework for qualifying solar-powered electric-vehicle charging equipment, and S.I. 48 of 2025 establishes the carbon-trading framework.
Tourism benefits from the fee revisions under S.I. 27 of 2026, while the Victoria Falls International Financial Services Centre regulations, including S.I. 38, 39, 43 and 61 to 68 of 2026, create a specialised framework for financial and investment activity.
Sector promotion should be developed with Zida, the responsible ministries, local authorities where relevant, project sponsors and industry bodies. Once opportunities are officially validated and investment-ready, the Council’s FDI channels can supplement national promotion through investor roundtables, opportunity profiles, targeted campaigns, market research, investment missions, video showcases and international publications.
This allows Zimbabwe to retain ownership of its investment story while reaching a wider audience. These instruments create openings, but some also impose important obligations. Environmental liability under S.I. 92 of 2026, sector licensing, exchange-control rules and reserved-sector requirements must be built into project design from the outset.
International capital is attracted not by a sector label alone, but by bankable preparation, policy clarity, reliable infrastructure, credible sponsors, good governance and a realistic risk allocation plan.
PN: Your appointment also presents an opportunity to strengthen commercial ties between Zimbabwe and Ghana. What practical areas of cooperation do you foresee between the two countries, and what lessons can Zimbabwe learn from Ghana’s trade and investment landscape?
JC: There is a practical scope for cooperation in agro-processing, mining services, renewable energy, financial technology and payments, pharmaceuticals, tourism, logistics, professional services and youth entrepreneurship. Ghana can be an important West African entry point for Zimbabwean products and capabilities, while Zimbabwe offers Ghanaian businesses access to opportunities in Southern Africa, particularly in agriculture, minerals, manufacturing and tourism. Tema’s port and logistics ecosystem can support trade routes and distribution partnerships, while Ghana’s role as host of the AfCFTA Secretariat gives it a valuable vantage point on continental trade implementation.
Zimbabwe can learn from Ghana’s deliberate investment promotion, the coordination of public and private institutions around priority sectors, and the importance of linking trade diplomacy to practical business facilitation. The institutional anchors are important.
Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, its diplomatic mission, ZimTrade and Zida should work with their Ghanaian counterparts, while chambers, sector associations and the Council connect the private-sector layer.
The Centre for Africa in Tema can support market entry information, introductions and commercial problem-solving, while the One Golf Height ecosystem can provide meeting, event, soft-landing and logistics support for suitable delegations and businesses.
These facilities should strengthen, not displace, the national agencies on either side.
Cooperation should be built around specific work streams: verified buyer and supplier introductions, joint ventures, skills and technology exchange, reciprocal trade missions, market-entry briefings and support for companies navigating each country’s standards and regulatory requirements. The objective is not ceremonial engagement; it is to create dependable business relationships that can be measured by their progression and durability.
PN: Small and medium enterprises are the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy but often face challenges such as limited market information, financing constraints and compliance with export standards. What support mechanisms can the International Trade Council provide to help these businesses become export-ready and internationally competitive?
JC: The starting point should be the exporter-development work already being done by ZimTrade, relevant ministries, standards bodies, chambers and sector associations. The Council should not create a competing export readiness system. A stronger model is to work with those institutions to identify suitable cohorts and then add international tools after each company’s production capacity, cost structure, quality controls, packaging, certifications, delivery reliability, intellectual-property position and working-capital needs have been assessed. For participating businesses, the Council can contribute a connected practical toolkit. Export Ready can guide readiness assessments, action plans, market comparison, export documentation and programme-level progress reporting.
ADAMftd can support evidence-based decisions using trade, shipment, company, tariff, pricing and due-diligence information. The International Trade Academy can provide self-paced and partner-led learning, while Quality in Business and related certification pathways can help qualifying firms demonstrate credibility and supply-chain discipline.
These can be combined with customised trade leads, decision-maker contact lists, buyer or distributor introductions, webinars, business councils and international visibility. Access will depend on the agreed programme or membership pathway and none of these tools can compensate for weak operational readiness. Technical support should be coordinated with the responsible institutions: ZimTrade on export strategy, Zimra on customs and origin, SAZ and sector regulators on standards, and banks, insurers or development-finance institutions on finance and risk.
Sector tools can be used selectively, for example, Agriculturalist may support agribusiness information and farmer-facing services where a responsible national or industry partner wishes to deploy it. The Council can help firms refine their market presentations and financial information and then facilitate targeted introductions where the commercial fit is credible.
The recent policy measures are relevant to SME formalisation as well. The local-authority fee framework under S.I. 41 and S.I. 89 of 2026 and the company re-registration extension under S.I. 76 of 2026 can reduce immediate administrative pressure. Businesses should use that space to regularise early, maintain accurate records and become procurement, finance and export-ready. The Council can facilitate access and introductions, but it cannot guarantee finance, licences or contracts; those decisions remain with the responsible institutions and counterparties.
PN: Beyond facilitating trade, how do you intend to engage Government, industry associations, financial institutions and the private sector to ensure Zimbabwe fully leverages the International Trade Council’s international partnerships and business networks?
JC: I am beginning with protocol, transparency and institutional coordination. The appointment has already been made by the International Trade Council’s Board, while the domestic process involves formally presenting the credential for the attention of the Presidency, notifying relevant ministries and permanent secretaries, requesting introductory meetings and seeking guidance on appropriate liaison arrangements.
That process is intended to keep Government properly informed and to ensure that future activity begins within established mandates. It does not presume endorsement, partnership or approval before the responsible institution has considered the proposal.
My approach is built around a clear division of roles. Zida should anchor investment promotion, investor facilitation, licensing and aftercare. ZimTrade should anchor exporter development and national export promotion. Ministries and regulators should lead on policy, permits and compliance. Chambers and industry associations should identify credible businesses and sector constraints. Financial institutions, insurers and development-finance partners should test bankability and risk. The Council then adds international market intelligence, contacts, learning resources, promotion platforms, missions, roundtables and qualified introductions.
In practical terms, a project or exporter should enter through the appropriate Zimbabwean institution, be assessed and prepared locally, and only then be taken into targeted international outreach. Feedback from investors, buyers and distributors should return to the same institution and business so that the proposition can be improved. That creates one accountable pipeline instead of several organisations approaching the market with different information.
Where appropriate, Council resources can be used through co-branded or approved partner programmes, allowing national institutions to remain the visible front door. The Council’s export-promotion agency roundtables, FDI forums, International Trade Academy, market data, newsletters, media platforms and business councils can support shared priorities rather than stand-alone activity. Industry associations, universities, professional bodies, women’s and youth organisations and diaspora networks can add skills, innovation and reach. I envisage sector-focused working channels built around a defined opportunity or cohort, clear institutional responsibilities, documented referrals, market feedback and follow-up. The Council’s independent, non-lobbying position is useful because it allows us to convene and share international practice without competing for statutory authority.
PN: Looking ahead, what are your immediate priorities during your first year in office, and what measurable outcomes would you like Zimbabweans to see from your tenure as the International Trade Council’s country representative and chairman?
JC: My opening priorities are to complete the formal institutional-introduction process, establish credible working relationships with the institutions already carrying Zimbabwe’s trade and investment mandates, agree how opportunities and businesses should be referred and followed up, build a quality and institutionally validated pipeline, and use the Council’s international resources only where they add something specific.
I also want to ensure that opportunities do not end at conferences or introductory meetings. The outcomes should be measured by verifiable joint progress: investment profiles validated with Zida and the responsible authorities; exporter cohorts identified with ZimTrade or relevant associations; co-hosted briefings or roundtables; businesses that complete relevant readiness or learning support; credible buyers, investors and service providers introduced; market feedback documented; and opportunities that progress from enquiry to due diligence, pilot activity, contract or investment decision where sufficiently mature.
I do not want to attach arbitrary deal values, quotas or rigid month-by-month promises to work that depends on approvals, financing, project sponsors, market conditions and independent counterparties. There are many moving parts, and responsible leadership requires acknowledging them. I would prefer to be judged by transparent milestones, the quality of the pipeline and sustained progress within our control, while reporting final commercial outcomes only when they are properly verified.
PN: Finally, what message would you like to share with Zimbabwean businesses, investors and young entrepreneurs about the opportunities that now exist through your appointment and the International Trade Council’s expanding footprint across Africa?
JC: My message is that a wider door is opening, but this appointment should be understood as an additional bridge, not a new layer of bureaucracy. Businesses should continue to use ZimTrade, Zida, chambers, associations, standards bodies and the appropriate regulators. My office can help connect well-prepared businesses and officially supported opportunities to further information, learning, visibility and credible partners through the Council’s African and global network. Zimbabwean businesses should formalise their operations, maintain reliable records, know their true costs, protect their intellectual property, understand the rules of origin applicable to their products, meet standards consistently and present clear, bankable proposals. Investors, in turn, should look beyond headlines and engage with credible institutions, undertake proper due diligence and seek partnerships that create local value, skills and sustainable growth.
To young entrepreneurs in particular: Africa’s market is becoming more connected, but competitiveness begins at home with quality, integrity, persistence and a willingness to learn. My office will work with existing Zimbabwean institutions to make the Council’s network accessible in a structured and responsible way.
The opportunity is not for one organisation to claim the space; it is for all of us to cooperate in turning Zimbabwe’s potential into durable trade and investment outcomes.
