Sweden has announced a major overhaul of its foreign aid priorities, confirming that it will phase out development assistance to Zimbabwe and shut down its embassy in Harare by August 2026.
The move forms part of a broader realignment of Stockholm’s global cooperation strategy, which will see funding redirected to countries such as Ukraine and a reduction in the number of bilateral aid partnerships.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Swedish Embassy in Harare, the Scandinavian nation said the decision was made “after many difficult deliberations” and is linked to Sweden’s wider foreign policy and security considerations. It stressed that the development does not stem from any political or economic developments within Zimbabwe.
Sweden’s annual development budget—currently estimated at just under US$6 billion—is expected to decline further in 2026. Over the past two years, the country has already scaled back support to more than ten nations. Zimbabwe now joins Liberia, Mozambique, Tanzania and Bolivia among the countries set to lose bilateral development cooperation.
According to the embassy, Sweden’s Reform Agenda for development cooperation aims to streamline its global aid footprint by reducing the number of countries with dedicated strategies and focusing more sharply on priority regions.
Related Stories
With development cooperation forming the core of its mission in Zimbabwe, officials say the reduced scope no longer justifies maintaining a full diplomatic presence.
Despite the impending closure, Sweden underscored that the relationship with Zimbabwe remains valued, recalling long-standing ties and decades of support across governance, health, human rights and economic development sectors. It said avenues for collaboration would remain open, particularly through trade, investment promotion, and thematic programmes linked to climate action, sustainable mining and democracy initiatives.
Sweden also noted that Zimbabwe will continue to benefit indirectly through multilateral contributions made to international agencies operating locally, as well as development programmes managed at regional or thematic levels within the EU and other global frameworks.
“Zimbabwe remains an important partner for Sweden,” the embassy said, adding that organisations such as Business Sweden and other arms of Team Sweden will continue supporting Swedish companies engaged in the Zimbabwean market.
The embassy will wind down its operations over the next 21 months, with development cooperation officially ending by 31 August 2026.
Leave Comments