ASSESSMENTS

Zimbabwe's Mining Sector Is Moving in a Pro-Business Direction

Mar 25, 2019 | 09:30 GMT

Miners walk near a mine shaft at Manzou Farm, owned by Grace Mugabe, wife of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, in Mazowe, Zimbabwe, on April 5, 2018.

Miners walk near a mine shaft at Manzou Farm, owned by Grace Mugabe, wife of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, in Mazowe, Zimbabwe, on April 5, 2018. New President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been implementing policies to spur foreign direct investment in the mining industry.

(JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • The planned removal of the "indigenization rule" from Zimbabwe's diamond and platinum mining sectors will make the country more attractive as a destination for foreign direct investment.
  • Diamonds and palladium — a platinum group metal — are currently in short supply globally, meaning Zimbabwe's regulatory adjustments further increase the likelihood of attracting investments in these sectors.
  • The changes will boost investment in the mining sector and improve the economy, but they will be unable to turn around Zimbabwe's trade deficit while the country is extremely dependent on imports.

Zimbabwe's mining sector is critical to the country's economy. Reserves of gold, platinum group metals and diamonds combine to form Zimbabwe's largest export -- and thus its primary source of foreign currency. This sector has become even more important recently due to Zimbabwe's systemically failing economy. The country is struggling to maintain sufficient foreign currency reserves, while also desperately requiring investment and expansion to compete. Stringent regulations have discouraged many potential investors from pursuing opportunities in Zimbabwe's mining industry in the past. But President Emmerson Mnangagwa has begun making decisions to spur foreign direct investment in the mining industry, likely spelling a long-term shift to more pro-business policies within the Zimbabwean government....

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