Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve
ZIMBABWE is steadily emerging as Africa’s next major investment destination, backed by a skilled workforce, vast mineral resources, and strategic access to regional markets, the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) has said.
Speaking in Victoria Falls recently, ZIDA Investment Promotion Manager, Mr Tapindwa Chipunza, unpacked the country’s robust investment case against the backdrop of a rapidly transforming African economy.
Citing the 2025 UNCTAD World Investment Report, Mr Chipunza said Africa’s population is projected to double to 2.5 billion by 2050, driving rapid urbanisation, industrialisation, and soaring energy demands.
“Strategic minerals, green technologies, agriculture, and infrastructure are now at the top of global investment priorities, and Zimbabwe finds itself well-positioned to benefit,” he said.
The optimism is not unfounded.
He said International advisory firm KPMG, in its 2024 outlook, ranked Zimbabwe among the top ten African countries with the most promising investment opportunities over the next two to three years.
“Zimbabwe’s strengths speak for themselves. With a population of 16.3 million and Africa’s highest literacy rate at 94.7 percent, we offer a skilled and educated workforce,” he said.
He also emphasised the country’s strategic market access through membership in multiple trade blocs, including SADC, AfCFTA, COMESA, ACP, and the WTO, providing investors with a gateway to regional and international markets.
The country’s proven manufacturing capability and vast mineral wealth, including rare earth minerals critical for the global energy transition, further strengthen its appeal.
“Government commitment to reforms aimed at improving the ease of doing business, combined with fiscal and non-fiscal incentives across key sectors, has significantly strengthened our investment case,” he said.
ZIDA’s latest statistics reveal a steady increase in investment licences issued from 2022 through the first quarter of 2025, signalling growing investor confidence from both traditional and emerging source markets.
He highlighted several high-level investment opportunities, with energy taking centre stage.
“The country requires over 1 500 megawatts of additional capacity, creating significant room for independent power producers and renewable energy projects, particularly in solar and hydro power,” he said.
Infrastructure presents another monumental opportunity, with an estimated US$30 billion deficit.
“This covers new city development, wastewater and sewerage reticulation, and portable water supply systems – a vast pipeline for public-private partnerships and foreign direct investment,” he said.
The health sector also demands urgent attention, with a US$3 billion funding gap highlighting needs in hospital construction and upgrades, pharmaceutical production, and the adoption of new health technologies.
“Zimbabwe is positioned at the heart of Africa’s economic rebirth. The fundamentals are in place. The real question is: are investors ready to seize the opportunity?”
As global capital increasingly looks towards Africa’s growth story, Zimbabwe, with its untapped potential and reform-driven agenda, is making a compelling case to be the continent’s next investment frontier.
Bongani Ndlovu