Online Reporter
Nelson Gahadza
Business Reporter
Zimbabwe has launched a new Business and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (BKPO) initiative aimed at positioning the country as a competitive global outsourcing destination, leveraging its skilled workforce, strong English proficiency and growing digital infrastructure.
Speaking at the launch of the 2026 BKPO operational framework, Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) chief executive, Mr Tafadzwa Chinamo, said the initiative marks a decisive step for Zimbabwe into the global services economy.
The programme is being rolled out under the theme “Zimbabwe: Your Global BPO Partner.”
Mr Chinamo said the move comes at a time when companies worldwide are diversifying their service locations to manage costs, improve resilience and access skilled talent across multiple time zones.
“Today we take a decisive step into the global services economy positioning our nation not only as a participant, but as a competitive and credible outsourcing hub,” he said.
He noted that Africa is increasingly emerging as a strong contender in the outsourcing industry and Zimbabwe is well positioned to lead due to its highly educated population, strong language capabilities and youthful workforce.
According to Mr Chinamo, Zimbabwe’s long-standing reputation for intellectual capability can now be converted into structured economic opportunity through the BKPO initiative.
“As the Agency, our mandate is to attract, facilitate and retain investment. But facilitation must be grounded in substance,” he said.
He said the BKPO programme is built on three key pillars policy certainty, infrastructure readiness and human capital excellence.
Under the policy certainty pillar, the initiative will operate within the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) framework, which provides investors with clear incentives, simplified licensing processes and coordinated government support.
Mr Chinamo said predictability and policy clarity were critical in building investor confidence in the outsourcing sector.
The second pillar focuses on infrastructure readiness, with Zimbabwe offering competitively priced commercial space suitable for business process outsourcing operations, expanding fibre connectivity and modern digital infrastructure.
He added that the country’s time-zone alignment with Europe, Africa and parts of Asia provides an additional advantage for companies seeking efficient global service delivery.
Human capital forms the third pillar of the framework, with Zimbabwe boasting one of Africa’s highest literacy rates and producing thousands of graduates in information and communication technology, finance, engineering, analytics and business services.
“Our talent is the foundation of a world-class outsourcing ecosystem,” Mr Chinamo said.
The framework introduced at the launch is centred on a facility-based Special Economic Zone model in which specific buildings are designated as BKPO facilities.
Mr Chinamo said the system will operate through a four-tier structure comprising facility designation, developer permitting, operator licensing and investor licensing.
“This model ensures certainty, prevents incentive leakages and strengthens oversight while accelerating the establishment of outsourcing operations,” he said.
He added that the incentive package supporting the sector is performance-based, focusing on investment levels, job creation and export revenue generation.
ZIDA and Treasury will provide governance through streamlined administrative processes, physical occupancy verification, foreign currency reporting and compliance monitoring.
Mr Chinamo said the broader objective is to build a full outsourcing ecosystem linking government, private sector developers, training institutions and technology providers.
