There is great opportunity for investment, inter alia, in the Tourism, Recreation, Health, Education,Transport, Information Communication Technology (ICT), Banking and Finance, Insurance and Construction, Services Sectors. The country has a relatively sophisticated and advanced financial system and a vibrant Stock Exchange.
The Services Sector is increasingly becoming the biggest contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Financial Services
Zimbabwe has a relatively well-developed and diversified financial system that offers investors an array of investment opportunities. The range of financial institutions includes banks, insurance companies, microfinance institutions, capital market and development finance institutions. The sector is liberalised and is open to new investors. The proportion of the population accessing formal financial services has increased, mainly due to the substantial growth of mobile banking platforms. The banking sector is safe and sound, following a raft of reforms and initiatives undertaken by the Government to restore financial sector stability, restore confidence, strengthen supervision and surveillance, mobilize domestic resources, enhance credit creation and promote financial inclusion.
Financial Services Investment Opportunities:
Zimbabwe’s financial services sector presents the following opportunities to investors:
- Establishment of a regional financial hub;
- Establishment of private credit reference bureaus;
- Expansion of credit provisions services;
- Setting up of Bureaux de Change:
- Financial innovation opportunities in the form of credit cards, mobile money products, financial inclusion products;
- Strengthening of existing banking institutions e.g. through capital injections
- Establishment of new banking and finance institutions in the country, especially those which offer improved financial support to SMEs; and
- Provision of lines of credit to the banking sector for on-lending to the productive sectors of the economy.
Key investment opportunities in the insurance and pensions sub-sector:
- Product differentiation to meet the needs of the marginalized population groups;
- Market development to expand coverage of existing products to the greater part of the population;
- Provision of an Interface IT System for the Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC).
Investing on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE)
The ZSE is the dominant capital market in the country. It is one of the oldest and highly diversified exchanges in Africa, with listings across major sectors of the economy.
Key investment opportunities in the capital markets sub-sector include:
- Establishing Alternative Trading Platforms (ATPs);
- Individual foreign investors can purchase up to 10% shares, and collectively they can purchase up to 49% shares in each listed company;
- 100% participation of foreign investors in the domestic bond and money markets;
- 100% participation on the ZSE listed companies by Zimbabweans in the Diaspora; and
- Investment within the Diaspora bond market
Health
Universal access to health services is a key sustainable development goal that the government prioritizes and therefore presents opportunities for investment in the sector.
Investment opportunities in the health sector:
- Establishment of a regional medical hub;
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing;
- Pharmaceutical warehousing;
- Research and development;
- Rehabilitation of infrastructure for Parirenyatwa, Harare and Mpilo hospitals;
- Rehabilitation of District and Provincial hospitals.