Zimbabwe plans $668 million investment in electricity infrastructure to support National Development Strategy 2

National transformation agendas often require sustained policy direction for 10 to 15 years, yet electoral cycles typically last only five years.

Martin Kadzere

Zimbabwe plans to spend up to US$668 million on electricity generation, transmission, and distribution projects over the next five years to facilitate infrastructure development.

This is a key enabler for implementing the country’s new blueprint, the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).

The investment will be achieved by implementing a new framework that aggressively promotes Private Sector Participation (PSP), according to the blueprint, which was launched last week and runs until 2030.

NDS2 succeeds the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), which ran from 2021 to 2025. Both policies form the basis for attaining the broader Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.

While there has been massive investment in power generation over the past four years, energy experts say the investment did not coincide with a corresponding investment in transmission and distribution facilities.

The new policy mandates that a framework to promote private sector participation in new power generation projects, as well as segments of electricity transmission and distribution, will be implemented through concession arrangements.

These concessions will operate under the oversight of the State-owned Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC).

“The Government will (also) capacitate ZESA Enterprises and promote private sector involvement in the manufacturing of electricity transmission and distribution components, including transformers, cables, concrete poles, and pumping points,” says the five-year economic blueprint.