UNDP Zimbabwe Resident Representative – Dr Ayodele Odusola addressing audience during the Impact Investment Map
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. 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.
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