Harare, (New Ziana) – The Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency, (ZIDA) has reported heightened interest in business opportunities available in the country from the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
The interest is observed on ZIDA’s social media platforms and follows the visit by the Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce (IBCC) and the UK-Zimbabwe Business Expo to Zimbabwe during which agency chairperson, Busisa Moyo made presentations on the country’s investment opportunities.
In its 2023 annual report published simultaneously with the 2024 fourth quarter report, ZIDA said of note is that the Netherlands also entered the top six sources of 10 country website visitors for the first time since the site’s relaunch.
It attributed the Netherlands interest to potential investors who attended the World Travel Market.
“In November and December, India and South Africa emerged as significant contributors to website traffic. The increase in Indian visitors was attributed to information packs shared with the Confederation of Indian Industry following their delegation’s visit to Zimbabwe,” ZIDA said in the report.
“Meanwhile, the 695 visitors from South Africa reflect the impact of post-diaspora roadshow events held in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
The Agency’s social media platforms showed growth in number of followers, with LinkedIn emerging as the most effective channel for engaging a professional, investment-focused audience.
“A notable increase in followers was driven by the UK-based ZIDO event and the research manager recruitment post, highlighting the platform’s strength in delivering professional updates and recruitment-related content.”
Other events that assisted to boost ZIDA’s engagements with investors include the CABC Investment inward mission, the Air Uganda Business Forum, and the French Delegation visit.
Content related to Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and economic opportunities in Matabeleland North generated the most traction, indicating that investment centric narratives resonated strongly with LinkedIn’s professional audience.
ZIDA said its ability to provide detailed data and information on its operations improved significantly in the final quarter of the year, reflecting enhanced capacity to process both new investment licence applications and renewals.
“A key highlight for the period was the transition to 100% submission of licensing applications through the DIY licensing portal. An impressive 98.1% of applications were received and processed through the portal, demonstrating that clients fully embraced this method for licence applications. Going forward, The Agency expects to achieve 100% processing via the portal.”
During the Travel Market in London from November 4 to 7 last year, ZIDA said it mainly focused on showcasing opportunities available for tourism infrastructure development in the planned Masuwe Special Economic Zone in Victoria Falls.
Following presentations to 12 potential investors interested in real estate development in the special economic zone, a visit is planned to the area for a number of the participants in the 1st quarter of this year.
-New Ziana