President Emmerson Mnangagwa has challenged Zimbabweans living abroad to move beyond supporting families through remittances and channel more of their resources, skills and networks into productive investment back home.
Addressing a packed conference of Zimbabweans living across the United States on Sunday night, President Mnangagwa said the country’s engagement with its Diaspora was evolving towards a model that places investment, innovation and national development at the centre.
He said Zimbabweans abroad had an important role to play in supporting the country’s transformation through the movement of capital, knowledge and technology.
“The engagement with our citizens in the Diaspora is moving from remittances to investment; from individual family support to national transformation; and from the movement of people to the movement of knowledge, technology and capital,” he said.
The President said Zimbabwe offered investment opportunities across several sectors, including agriculture, mining and mineral beneficiation, manufacturing, tourism, infrastructure, financial services, renewable energy, health, education and the digital economy.
He encouraged Zimbabweans abroad to consider forming partnerships and pooling resources where individual investors might not have sufficient capital to undertake major projects.
“Opportunities abound across agriculture, mining and beneficiation, manufacturing, tourism, infrastructure, financial services, renewable energy, health, education and the digital economy,” President Mnangagwa said.
“Some projects may be beyond the capacity of one individual, but within the reach of the collective strength of Zimbabweans acting together.”
The President said Government was working to create an environment that would make it easier for members of the Diaspora to invest and participate in the economy.
He said measures being implemented by the Second Republic included reducing bureaucracy, modernising passport services and establishing Diaspora service centres to improve access to Government services.
“We are also strengthening platforms such as the Zimbabwe Annual Diaspora Conference, which has become a vital forum for dialogue, collaboration and project incubation,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said dedicated focal persons had also been appointed across Government ministries and agencies to respond to enquiries from Zimbabweans living abroad and facilitate their participation in national development.
“Dedicated focal persons across Ministries and Agencies are mandated to promptly address Diaspora enquiries,” he said.
He also pointed to the strong turnout at the previous Zimbabwe Annual Diaspora Conference in Gweru as evidence of growing interest among Zimbabweans abroad to contribute to the country’s development.
“Your overwhelming participation in the last Conference in Gweru demonstrates the Diaspora’s readiness to play its part in our nation’s ongoing growth story,” said President Mnangagwa.
The call places the Diaspora at the centre of efforts to mobilise investment, expertise and technology while strengthening economic links between Zimbabwe and its citizens abroad.
