Zimbabwe is increasingly looking to its diaspora community and international investors to help fast-track infrastructure and economic development in line with Vision 2030.
Speaking during the South Africa-Zimbabwe Business Expo held in Johannesburg over the weekend, Deputy Chief Secretary for Policy Analysis, Coordination and Development Planning in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Dr Willard Manungo, said collaboration with Zimbabweans living abroad was now critical to the country’s development agenda.
He said Government, under President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s “Zimbabwe is Open for Business” policy, continues to create conditions aimed at attracting investment, diaspora capital and strategic partnerships.
“As we try to do our best in Zimbabwe in underwriting development challenges, we cannot do it alone,” said Dr Manungo.
“We need yourselves as partners in that journey.”
Dr Manungo noted that Zimbabwe still holds significant investment opportunities in areas including housing, transport infrastructure, tourism, climate-focused projects and digital transformation.
He emphasised that investors were being presented with commercially viable opportunities capable of generating sustainable returns rather than being expected to contribute out of goodwill.
According to Dr Manungo, the diaspora community has increasingly become a strategic contributor to national development through organised investment structures that are channeling resources into various projects across the country.
In recent years, Government has stepped up engagement with Zimbabweans living abroad through investment conferences, policy reforms and international outreach initiatives designed to tap into global expertise, capital and business networks.
The Second Republic has also consistently included diaspora engagement during foreign visits undertaken by President Mnangagwa and senior Government officials.
Dr Manungo said sectors such as road development, housing construction, tourism and rural industrialisation still offer extensive room for investment and partnerships involving Government, local authorities, development agencies and private investors.
“Together, we can build a prosperous Zimbabwe through modernising our cities, industrialising our rural communities and empowering local authorities in transforming livelihoods,” he said.
Officials attending the expo said the Government’s engagement and re-engagement drive continues to open new investment opportunities for both domestic and international investors.
Zimbabweans in Diaspora Organisation (ZIDO) chairperson Mr Blessed Kapesa said the expo was aimed at promoting trade, investment and stronger diaspora participation in Zimbabwe’s economic growth.
He said ZIDO is helping connect Zimbabweans abroad with investment opportunities back home by mobilising financial resources, skills and international business connections.
Mr Kapesa said diaspora funding is increasingly being directed towards agriculture, mining, tourism, infrastructure and property development, sectors viewed as central to Zimbabwe’s industrialisation and modernisation agenda.
He added that the expo aligns with Vision 2030 objectives, which encourage economic growth through trade, investment and active diaspora involvement.
“Every year, we send US$2,7 billion officially and unofficially, the number could be much higher,” said Mr Kapesa.
His remarks underscored the growing importance of diaspora remittances, which continue to provide foreign currency inflows, household support and investment capital for productive sectors of the economy.
Now in its second year, the South Africa-Zimbabwe Business Expo has grown into a key platform for strengthening business relationships between diaspora Zimbabweans, foreign investors and local enterprises.
Participants at the event said the expo reflects the rise of a globally connected Zimbabwean business community that is increasingly playing a role in the country’s industrialisation and economic transformation.
As Zimbabwe pushes ahead with Vision 2030, diaspora-driven investment is expected to remain one of the major pillars supporting infrastructure growth, economic stability and long-term national development.
