29.4.2026
19:36
Bulawayo,
21
April
2026 –
The
United
Nations
Development
Programme
(UNDP),
in
partnership
with
the
Zimbabwe
Investment
and
Development
Agency
(ZIDA),
brought
together
Government
leaders,
investors,
banks,
business
leaders
and
development
partners
in
Bulawayo
to
help
unlock
more
investment
for
Zimbabwe.
UNDP
Zimbabwe
Resident
Representative
–
Dr
Ayodele
Odusola
addressing
audience
during
the
Impact
Investment
Map
The
dialogue
was
held
during
the
Zimbabwe
International
Trade
Fair
(ZITF)
2026
and
was
designed
as
a
high-level
investor
engagement
platform
for
around
100
participants.
The
event
came
at
a
time
when
Zimbabwe
is
pushing
to
attract
more
capital
into
sectors
that
can
create
jobs,
grow
businesses
and
support
national
development.
Speakers
said
Zimbabwe
has
strong
investment
potential,
but
more
money
is
still
needed
in
key
sectors
such
as
renewable
energy,
agriculture,
manufacturing,
housing,
infrastructure,
climate
resilience
and
small
business.
The
dialogue
also
highlighted
the
scale
of
the
opportunity.
UNDP
noted
that
the
global
impact
investment
market
now
stands
at
US$1.6
trillion,
held
by
3,907
institutions,
while
about
37
countries
have
already
launched
SDG
Impact
Investment
Maps.
Zimbabwe
is
now
working
to
position
itself
more
strongly
in
that
space
through
the
SDG
Impact
Investment
initiative
being
led
by
UNDP
and
ZIDA.
Insights
shared
at
the
event
showed
that
Zimbabwe
has
historically
been
underserved
by
private
investment
and
development
finance.
According
to
the
CrossBoundary
presentation,
past
investment
has
been
concentrated
mainly
in
health,
the
financial
sector
and
renewable
energy,
leaving
several
other
high-potential
sectors
still
underfunded.
At
the
same
time,
the
event
heard
that
Zimbabwe
is
not
starting
from
zero.
Presenters
pointed
to
important
strengths
already
in
place,
including
an
established
banking
sector,
business
associations,
stock
exchange
structures,
ESG
reporting
practices,
and
a
resilient
private
sector
active
in
several
impact-oriented
sectors.
The
dialogue
also
highlighted
signs
of
renewed
investor
interest.
Examples
shared
at
the
event
included
a
US$15
million
Proparco
facility
to
NMB
Bank
in
November
2024,
a
US$10
million
British
International
Investment
commitment
to
NMB
Bank
in
September
2024,
and
a
US$4.1
million
IFC-Nespresso
Sustainability
Innovation
Fund
investment
announced
in
October
2022
to
support
coffee
farmers
in
Zimbabwe
and
Uganda.
Speaking
at
the
event,
UNDP
Resident
Representative
Dr.
Ayodele
Odusola
said
the
challenge
is
not
only
about
mobilizing
money,
but
also
about
building
confidence
and
trust
around
Zimbabwe’s
opportunities.
He
said
Zimbabwe
must
move
from
dialogue
to
action
and
build
stronger
pathways
that
connect
capital
to
real
opportunities.
ZIDA
Chief
Investment
Promotion
Officer
Ms.
Silibaziso
Chizwina
said
attracting
sustainable
and
impact-oriented
private
capital
is
now
essential
for
Zimbabwe’s
development
agenda
and
stressed
that
the
work
underway
is
part
of
a
broader
national
process
to
position
Zimbabwe
as
a
credible
destination
for
impact
capital.
Participants
said
more
progress
is
still
needed
in
areas
such
as
policy
consistency,
investor
confidence,
stronger
project
preparation,
better
coordination,
and
practical
tools
such
as
blended
finance,
guarantees
and
risk-sharing
mechanisms.
The
event
underlined
the
strong
partnership
between
UNDP
and
ZIDA
in
this
work.
UNDP
is
helping
bring
stakeholders
together,
identify
opportunities
and
support
stronger
investment
pathways,
while
ZIDA
remains
a
key
national
partner
in
promoting,
facilitating
and
coordinating
investment
into
Zimbabwe.
Post
published
in:
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