Online Reporter
Business Reporter
The Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) has signalled a fundamental change in how it measures success, moving away from the number of investment licences issued towards the actual implementation of projects, its chief executive has said.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement meeting on Wednesday, ZIDA chief executive Mr Tafadzwa Chinamo told delegates that the agency’s next strategic phase would be judged not on how much investment it attracts, but on how effectively that interest is converted into productive enterprises.
“Success cannot end by generating investor interest and issuing investment licences,” Mr Chinamo said. “The question for the next phase of ZIDA is not only how much investment can we attract, but it must increasingly be how effectively are we converting investment interest into productive enterprises.”
He said the agency would now track the entire investor journey – from attraction and facilitation through to establishment, implementation, expansion and eventual reinvestment – describing the shift as a move “from promise to productive activity.”
The meeting was convened to allow stakeholders to scrutinise ZIDA’s assumptions against their own experiences. Mr Chinamo said the agency wanted its strategy to respond to “real investor experiences and practical challenges, rather than simply reflecting our internal assessment.”
He called on delegates to state candidly where ZIDA’s processes were working, where they needed improvement and where new interventions were required.
The ZIDA chief also acknowledged that some obstacles faced by investors fell outside the agency’s direct mandate. “Where an issue belongs to the wider investment ecosystem, we must identify and play our part, and work collectively with responsible institutions towards practical solutions,” he said.
Mr Chinamo stressed that the consultation would not be an exercise in tokenism. “Today’s engagement should not become a matter of consultation, where recommendations end when we leave this forum,” he said, adding that the input received would inform the agency’s strategy and, where appropriate, translate into “clear strategic priorities, practical interventions, institutional responsibility and measurable commitments.”
He said the strategy would be shaped by the views of investors who use ZIDA’s services, government institutions, private-sector business organisations, development partners and other stakeholders who experience Zimbabwe’s investment environment from different perspectives.
The engagement meeting drew stakeholders from across the investment ecosystem. Further details of the strategy are expected to be announced once consultations are concluded.
