The Blueprint for Zimbabwe’s Next Billionaires
Zimbabwe produced its first internationally recognised billionaire not through mining or agriculture, but through information and communication technology (ICT).
Strive Masiyiwa built Econet Wireless by investing boldly in technology, fighting for market access and crucially, partnering with international players to scale growth beyond borders. That single fact should permanently settle the debate about where Zimbabwe’s future economic drivers truly lie.
Today, the top five companies in the world by market capitalisation are all ICT-based. Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta do not dig minerals from the ground nor rely on rainfall patterns. They trade in data, platforms, software, connectivity and networks. What this means for Zimbabwe is simple but profound, the country must invest its energy, money and strategic focus in ICT if it is serious about wealth creation, job growth and global competitiveness.
Zimbabwe continues to battle daily economic problems whose solutions are already in plain sight. Productivity losses, informalisation, poor service delivery, corruption leakages and financial exclusion all have proven digital solutions. Yet national policy and capital allocation remain stubbornly anchored in 20th-century thinking, treating mining and agriculture as untouchable sacred cows. These sectors remain important, but they are no longer the primary engines of modern economies. Even mining and agriculture themselves now depend heavily on ICT for efficiency, transparency and market access.
Consider a simple thought experiment, imagine the economic impact if the internet or EcoCash were to stop functioning for just 24 hours. Retail trade would grind to a halt. Fuel sales would collapse. Transport systems would stall. Informal traders would be paralysed. Government revenue collection would suffer. That is not a hypothetical scenario, it is proof that ICT has already become the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy, whether policymakers acknowledge it or not.
If government is serious about driving this strategic sector, then ICT development cannot be left to the private sector alone. The state must lead decisively. It should be mandatory for every school in Zimbabwe from pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary to have reliable internet access, a functional website, official email addresses, digital learning platforms and modern administrative systems. This is how skills are built early, not through rhetoric but through daily exposure to technology.
The same standard must apply across all organisations. Local authorities, government departments, police stations and parastatals should be fully digitised. Institutions such as ailing ZIMPOST must be repurposed as digital community hubs, offering free or affordable public internet access for local communities. This is not radical thinking, it is the global norm in both developed and emerging economies.
Econet’s success demonstrates that Zimbabwean entrepreneurs can build world-class enterprises when supported by the right regulatory environment, access to capital and international partnerships. Instead of over-regulating innovation or viewing successful ICT firms with suspicion, the state should be asking a more urgent question, how do we deliberately create ten more Econets? How do we turn Harare and Bulawayo into regional technology hubs? How do we export digital services rather than raw commodities?
The global economy is producing new billionaires every year, overwhelmingly from the ICT sector. Zimbabwe cannot mine its way into that future, nor can it farm its way there. The country must code, connect, digitise and innovate its way forward. The evidence is already before us. The choice is whether we act on it or continue to watch from the sidelines as others build the future.
For Zimbabweans ready to be part of this digital future, now is the time to engage, collaborate and seek expert ICT consultation because the next Econet and the next Zimbabwean billionaire, will be built by those who act today.
Engineer Jacob Kudzayi Mutisi
+263772278161
