By Kudzaishe Chimonera
Zimbabweans living abroad have called on the government to create investment opportunities that allow them to contribute capital, skills and technology to national development beyond sending money home.
Speaking at the Zimbabwe Diaspora Engagement in New York, held on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Dr Amson Sibanda, chief of national strategies and capacity building at UN DESA and coordinator of Zimbabweans in the Americas said the diaspora was ready to invest if the government provided transparent and viable projects.
He said remittances continued to support families and communities but did not necessarily translate into long-term economic partnerships between Zimbabweans abroad and the national economy.
“What we seek is something more durable, the chance to invest, to deploy our skills, to open our networks, to own a share of Zimbabwe’s future,” he said.
Sibanda cited Ethiopia’s financing of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as an example of how countries could mobilise diaspora resources through investment mechanisms rather than relying on donations.
He said Zimbabwe could adopt a similar model by identifying major infrastructure projects that citizens abroad could collectively finance.
One of the projects he proposed was the construction of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway, which he said could improve connectivity and spread tourism, trade and logistics benefits beyond Victoria Falls.
“All we ask is that Government identifies the projects and build the vehicles through which we can take part,” Sibanda said.
He stressed that Zimbabweans abroad were not seeking handouts or special privileges but opportunities to invest in projects that could deliver tangible benefits to the country and its people.
“We are not asking for charity, Mr President, and we are not asking for privileges. Create credible, transparent, and bankable projects that we can all own and will participate,” he said.
Sibanda also highlighted the Juncao grass project as an example of how international partnerships, technology and knowledge could be harnessed to address local development challenges.
The technology, which can be used for livestock feed, mushroom production and land rehabilitation, has expanded to all 10 provinces, with more than 280 cultivation sites and 196 mushroom production sites established.
Nearly 1 200 farmers, extension officers, researchers and entrepreneurs have also been trained, he said.
Sibanda cited the case of a farmer whose reported monthly household income had increased from about US$20 to approximately US$500 illustrating the potential economic benefits of introducing new technologies and expertise.
“The diaspora brings more than money. We bring knowledge, technology, partnerships, and doors that open,” he said.
He urged the government to establish credible investment mechanisms that would give Zimbabweans abroad confidence to participate in national development projects.
“Give us a project to rally behind. Give us a credible investment vehicle, and we ask that Hurumende will open space for us to deliver zvidobi zvatinosangana nazvo muDiaspora,” Sibanda said.
He said Zimbabweans living abroad were prepared to contribute to the country’s development and support the achievement of Vision 2030.
“Give us also the projects, and we’ll give Zimbabwe our lifetimes,” he said.
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