Online Reporter
Oliver Kazunga
Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWE is moving to reclaim its global skills capital as Government launches an ambitious programme to bring home expertise from the Diaspora and ensure the emerging industries are driven by Zimbabweans rather than foreign expatriates.
The initiative comes amid the country’s economic transformation agenda, with new opportunities set to open in emerging sectors such as petroleum — and lithium-ion battery manufacturing, among others, that have limited local skills capacity.
Responding to questions from this publication after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the Zimbabwe Diaspora Nation Building Initiative (ZDNBI) in Harare this week, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development Ambassador Rudo Chitiga said: “The Minister of Finance (Professor Mthuli Ncube) signed the Petroleum Production Sharing Agreement with the oil people (Geo Associates).
“The role of the Ministry (Skills Audit and Development) is now to quickly find Zimbabweans in the Diaspora who have those skills and say, how can you support our work?
“We have recently banned the export of raw minerals. And now we are talking about producing batteries (lithium ion). Do we have skills locally, we don’t — but we have Zimbabweans in the Diaspora with those skills.”
Last week, the Government signed a Petroleum Production Sharing Agreement (PPSA) with Geo Associates, paving the way for the development of a petroleum industry that is expected to transform Zimbabwe’s energy landscape and stimulate downstream industries.
Moreso, the Government has announced that the export of lithium concentrates will be banned from January 2027 as part of efforts to deepen value addition and create a battery manufacturing industry anchored on the country’s vast lithium resources.
Amb Chitiga noted that without deliberate intervention, Zimbabwe’s industrialisation agenda risked becoming dependent on imported expertise.
“All this industrialisation may be expatriate-driven rather than Zimbabwean-driven. We want it to be Zimbabwean-driven,” she said, adding that between three million and five million Zimbabweans with skills in different economic sectors were based in the Diaspora.
At the signing ceremony, she said her ministry was conducting skills audits across sectors to determine the expertise required by industry and identify Zimbabweans in the Diaspora capable of filling those gaps.
The Government’s strategy seeks not only to attract skilled Zimbabweans back home — but to leverage their expertise to train locals and build a sustainable pipeline of talent for emerging industries.
Following the signing of the MoU, Diaspora professionals are expected to participate in knowledge transfer initiatives, mentorship programmes and technical training schemes aimed at equipping Zimbabweans with industry-ready skills.
In this context, the Government is expected to unveil a comprehensive framework before the end of the year, outlining priority sectors, identified skills gaps and mechanisms through which Diaspora professionals would contribute to national development.
Speaking at the same occasion, ZDNBI chief executive officer Dr Paul Matsvai, said through their MoU with the Government, his organisation marked a significant step towards contributing to harnessing one of the country’s most valuable resources — the expertise of millions of Zimbabweans living and working abroad.
“Our role is to create that kind of platform and conduit through which effective sharing of information and best practices can be done.
“So, it is our special privilege and pleasure to be doing that as ZDNBI. We connect with 15 regional associations globally…we are also trying to build a database of those diaspora experts outside so that we match those skills with the existing gaps,” he said.
Peter Tanyanyiwa