Zimbabwe recorded a significant rise in new investment licenses and renewals in the third quarter of 2025, signalling growing investor confidence and sustained momentum in capital inflows across key sectors of the economy. 

According to the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency, a total of 203 new investment licences were issued during the quarter, marking a 6.8% increase from the previous quarter and a 20.8% jump compared to the same period in 2024.

The new licences carried a projected total investment value of US$3.26 billion, up sharply from US$1.17 billion recorded in Q3 of 2024, representing a 178% year-on-year increase. 

The growth was driven by capital-intensive projects particularly in energy, mining, construction and financial services, where foreign financing continues to anchor expansion.

A significant portion of the projected investment came through foreign currency cash injections, which amounted to US$2.82 billion, while capital equipment imports were valued at US$354 million, reflecting continued re-tooling and production scale-up in manufacturing, mining and agriculture.

In a notable development, investment licence renewals surged by 53%, rising from 107 in the previous quarter to 164 renewals in Q3 2025. ZIDA attributed the rise to strengthened aftercare services and improved compliance follow-up systems introduced earlier in the year. 

The renewals also indicate that existing investors are not only maintaining operations but expanding, a key measure of economic stability and business climate confidence.

Compared to the 56 renewals recorded during Q3 of 2024, current renewal performance reflects a nearly threefold increase, signalling deeper investor retention and reinvestment.

Harare Province continued to dominate both in terms of investment attractiveness and project concentration, accounting for US$2.43 billion, or 75% of total projected investment for the quarter. 

This was followed by Matabeleland North, which recorded US$326.68 million, and Matabeleland South with US$118.35 million worth of approved project value.

By sector, financial services contributed the highest projected value at US$2.15 billion, reflecting capital restructuring and new financial infrastructure investments. The energy sector followed closely with US$543.42 million, underlining ongoing efforts to stabilise and expand the national power supply base. Mining recorded 105 new licences, the highest number of licences issued in any sector during the quarter.

Of the projects licensed between January 2022 and September 2025, 363 projects have been monitored, with US$1.47 billion in realised investment to date — a 43% increase compared to the previous quarter. 

Manufacturing, mining and agriculture collectively accounted for 89% of all actual inflows, with manufacturing leading at US$645 million, followed by mining at US$472 million.

The data shows that the investment environment is shifting from speculative licensing toward tangible execution, supported by capital equipment imports and foreign currency equity investments.

ZIDA highlighted the rollout of the e-Regulations Portal, which provides step-by-step licensing and regulatory guidance across 20 government entities, as a key reform improving transparency and ease of doing business.

Investor grievance handling has also improved, with ZIDA processing all reported cases under the Investor Grievance Response Mechanism during the quarter.