Zimbabwe is looking to Australia’s mining industry for lessons on how to turn its mineral wealth into a bigger industrial opportunity, as the country steps up its efforts to attract investment at the Africa Down Under (ADU) conference in Perth, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
For the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA), Australia offers a useful example of what can happen when mining grows beyond the extraction of minerals and supports a wider network of businesses and industries.
Australia has built a mining economy that includes exploration, mining, processing, engineering, equipment and specialised services. Zimbabwe wants to develop more of those activities around its own mineral resources.
Speaking to Mining Zimbabwe on the sidelines of the ADU conference, ZIDA chief executive Tafadzwa Chinamo said Australia had shown what countries with significant mineral and energy resources could achieve.
“After ADU 2026, we are here again as ZIDA because this is a very important conference for us. Australia is key in terms of mining development and has demonstrated to the rest of the world what countries with energy and mineral endowments can achieve.
“We are in a similar situation. We have the minerals, and if we follow a similar path to Australia, we can unlock significant value from our resources.”
The comparison comes at a time when Zimbabwe is trying to move more of its mining industry towards beneficiation and value addition.
The country has attracted investment into lithium, gold, platinum group metals, chrome and other minerals, but turning those resources into a larger economic base will require more than new mines.
Processing plants, engineering companies, mining equipment suppliers and technical services will also need to grow alongside the mines.
That is one area where Australia could offer Zimbabwe practical opportunities, with its mining companies and service providers bringing experience in areas the country is trying to develop.
For ZIDA, however, attracting that investment starts with helping companies understand how they can enter the Zimbabwean market.
Chinamo said some investors were already familiar with Zimbabwe’s mineral potential but needed greater clarity on what to do next.
“It was important for us to engage investors in their own country. They like Zimbabwe, they like our geology, but sometimes they just don’t know what to do next. This is why we come here to address those doubts and assure them that ZIDA is there to support them and help them achieve what they want to do in Zimbabwe,” Chinamo added.
That puts ZIDA at the point where investor interest has to be turned into actual projects.
The agency’s role is to help investors navigate the process, identify opportunities and connect with the relevant institutions and partners in Zimbabwe.
For Australian companies, the opportunity therefore extends beyond putting money into individual mines. There is also room to participate in the infrastructure, technology, processing and services needed to support Zimbabwe’s expanding mining industry.
That could help Zimbabwe capture more value from its resources while creating a stronger local supply chain around mining.
Australia’s experience shows that a mining industry can become much larger than the mines themselves. Zimbabwe is now trying to build that same depth around its own mineral wealth.
