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Zimbabwe has officially launched its e-Regulations platform, a centralised digital portal aimed at simplifying and demystifying regulatory procedures for investors and businesses. The move is a key step in the government’s broader push to enhance the ease of doing business, strengthen transparency, and create a more predictable investment climate, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
The platform, developed by the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) in partnership with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), will serve as a real-time online guide to administrative processes across 21 government ministries, departments, and agencies. It outlines step-by-step procedures—including requirements, costs, contact points, and timelines—for setting up and running a business in Zimbabwe.
The launch event in Harare was presided over by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Martin Rushwaya, who emphasised that the platform is a strategic response to long-standing investor concerns about bureaucratic inefficiencies.
“The operationalisation of the e-Regulations Portal is one of the strategies for implementing a decision made by Cabinet to urgently review the current highly regulated operating environment, which has proved to be an output loss to business both at entry and established levels. Without doubt, these reform measures will reduce the time and procedures of doing business and improve Zimbabwe’s global competitiveness.”
“The e-Regulations Portal is designed to consolidate and codify investment-related procedures into a simple, accessible, and interactive digital ecosystem that not only aligns our regulatory practices with international benchmarks but also improves accountability across government agencies.
Let me reiterate that this intervention is situated within the broader tapestry of Zimbabwe’s public sector transformation and reform agenda,” Rushwaya added.
The launch comes at a time when Zimbabwe is working to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) to accelerate economic recovery and support large-scale industrialisation, particularly in sectors such as mining, energy, agriculture, and manufacturing. Investors have often cited unclear procedures, delays, and excessive red tape as major impediments to doing business in the country.
ZIDA Chief Executive Officer Tafadzwa Chinamo said the e-Regulations portal represents a new era in Zimbabwe’s investment facilitation framework—one grounded in transparency, efficiency, and accountability. He noted that the launch was only the first phase in a much larger reform process.
“Today signifies far more than the unveiling of a digital platform; it marks a fundamental shift in how we, as a government and as a nation, approach the enabling environment. This launch reaffirms Zimbabwe’s commitment to fostering a transparent, efficient, and investor-friendly environment. The e-Regulations portal is not an end in itself—it is the foundation.
The next step of this initiative will focus on streamlining and simplifying the procedures that you are about to see today. Through methodical review and collaboration, we will identify opportunities to reduce costs, eliminate redundancies, and shorten turnaround times. This ongoing work will ultimately culminate in the development of the online Investor Single Window—an integrated digital platform designed to enable businesses to complete all essential registration and licensing procedures in a seamless, efficient, and transparent manner,” Chinamo said.
He added that the rollout is guided by Zimbabwe’s commitment to global best practices, including the WTO Investment Facilitation for Development initiative, which advocates for predictable and accessible administrative processes for both domestic and foreign investors.
To reinforce the platform’s effectiveness, the government has reactivated the Ease of Doing Business Inter-Ministerial Committee, which will work alongside ZIDA to continually review and modernise regulatory frameworks. In parallel, the Business Be Ready Survey, a diagnostic tool under the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), is identifying pain points within the investment environment, helping to target reforms where they are most urgently needed.
The ultimate objective, officials said, is to transition from fragmented manual procedures to a fully integrated Investor Single Window, where businesses can complete all key transactions—from registration to licensing—on one digital platform.
This model has already proved effective in fast-growing economies such as Rwanda, Singapore, and Mauritius.
For Zimbabwe, which aims to achieve upper-middle-income status by 2030, the e-Regulations platform is more than a technical innovation. It is a critical pillar of national economic transformation, ensuring that as the country opens its doors to global capital, it does so with speed, clarity, and credibility.
The launch also resonated strongly with Zimbabwe’s development partners, particularly the European Union. At the event, Maria Commert Homo, EU representative, said:
“Today, with the launch of this e-Regulations portal, Zimbabwe is taking a major step towards addressing that need, and we really commend the government for its proactive and quick approach. The e-Regulations portal is a powerful tool that will provide investors with easy access to information on regulations, procedures, and requirements for doing business in Zimbabwe. This will not only improve the ease of doing business, but also increase transparency, reducing the complexity and uncertainty that can often deter investment.”
She added that the portal will be an invaluable resource for European companies looking to invest in Zimbabwe, as it will provide them with the information they need to make informed decisions and navigate the investment process with confidence.
The alignment between Zimbabwe’s reform efforts and international partners like the EU highlights growing global confidence in the country’s economic future.
