Zimbabwe is positioning a broad slate of high-value investment opportunities as it intensifies efforts to attract both local and foreign capital into strategic sectors, with the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency unveiling a diverse portfolio of projects under its 2025 investment pipeline.

The projects span manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, transport, housing and agriculture, reflecting government’s push to stimulate industrial growth, modernise infrastructure and close long-standing production gaps across the economy.

Among the flagship manufacturing initiatives is the National Railways of Zimbabwe Concrete Manufacturing Plant Project in Bulawayo, which seeks to establish a concrete sleeper production facility with an annual capacity of 60,000 units. Valued at US$2.49 million, the project is designed to support rail rehabilitation programmes in Zimbabwe and the wider Southern African region, while reducing reliance on imports. 

Financial projections show a gross profit margin of 34 percent and a net profit margin of 20 percent, with an internal rate of return of 14 percent over an 18-month project period.

In the energy and green manufacturing space, the Orangerose Solar Roof Tile Manufacturing Project aims to respond to Zimbabwe’s persistent power shortages through local production of patented solar roof tiles. Based in Bulawayo, the US$3 million project targets daily output of 600 tiles and is projected to generate revenues of US$3.6 million annually. 

Despite relatively modest margins, the project boasts a high internal rate of return of 33.3 percent and a payback period of just eight months, highlighting strong investor appeal.

ZIDA is also promoting large-scale industrial projects, including the Verify Coal-to-Fertiliser Plant with Net Zero Emissions. With an estimated capital requirement of US$1.1 billion, the project seeks to produce 520,000 tonnes of urea and ammonium nitrate annually while integrating carbon capture, renewable energy and low-emission technologies.

The plant targets a net profit margin of 14 percent and a projected payback period of between seven and eight years, positioning it as one of the most ambitious industrial undertakings in the portfolio.

In healthcare and bio-manufacturing, the Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine Manufacturing Facility proposed for Harare is expected to significantly reduce Zimbabwe’s dependence on imported animal vaccines. The US$6.4 million project is structured as a modular, expandable facility capable of supplying both domestic and regional markets at competitive pricing. 

With a gross profit margin of 80 percent and a net present value of US$7.1 million, the project underscores growing opportunities in pharmaceutical and veterinary manufacturing.

Infrastructure development remains a central pillar of ZIDA’s investment drive. The Harare–Nyamapanda Road and Border Post Project, valued at US$225.6 million, is a public-private partnership aimed at upgrading a critical regional trade corridor linking Zimbabwe to Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania.

The project includes road rehabilitation, modern tolling systems and a One Stop Border Post at Nyamapanda, and is expected to improve trade efficiency while supporting mining and agricultural exports. The project is projected to deliver an internal rate of return of 17.2 percent.

Urban development and housing feature prominently, with the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities promoting the Livingstone Flats Project in Harare’s central business district. The project seeks private sector participation to redevelop ageing government housing into high-density residential flats, addressing part of Zimbabwe’s estimated 1.2 million housing deficit. 

Authorities say such developments offer both social impact and inflation-hedged real estate returns.

Industrial parks are also being positioned as growth hubs, including the US$12.1 million Sunway City Industrial Park Factory Shells Project within a Special Economic Zone on the outskirts of Harare. Targeting small and medium enterprises, the development will provide ready-to-occupy factory units supported by shared infrastructure and regulatory incentives, with a projected payback period of four years.

Collectively, the ZIDA 2025 Projects portfolio reflects Zimbabwe’s strategy to leverage public-private partnerships, special economic zones and value addition to unlock investment-led growth.