ZIMBABWE INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR 2025
The Food & Agriculture Organisation and Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Agrifood Investment Dialogue
Dr. Nqobizitha Dube, Manager for Climate Finance and Sustainability at the IDBZ, brought critical perspectives to the Agrifood Investment Dialogue, with a focus on bridging climate finance and sustainable investment in Zimbabwe’s agriculture and agro-industry sectors.
In his presentation, Dr. Dube began by identifying persistent gaps that are hindering agricultural investment in Zimbabwe, notably the misalignment between financial sector products and the unique risk profiles of agribusinesses, the inadequacy of patient capital and the limited uptake of climate-smart agriculture due to knowledge and financing constraints. He called for a harmonised ecosystem approach where financial institutions, Government and development partners co-develop frameworks for integrated financing and technical assistance. He emphasised that de-risking agriculture must move beyond concessional finance to include structured guarantees, pipeline development and capacity support.
Dr. Dube elaborated on IDBZ’s pioneering role in deploying climate finance to catalyse a paradigm shift in Zimbabwe’s agrifood systems. He outlined how the Bank is actively integrating green bonds, blended finance structures and concessional capital into its financing models to unlock investment in climate-smart agriculture. Notably, he pointed to the IDBZ’s pipeline of green infrastructure projects—including solar-powered irrigation, regenerative agriculture initiatives and post-harvest technologies—as evidence of growing investor appetite when sustainability is central to the investment agenda.
He noted that IDBZ’s model explicitly targets inclusion, with a focus on youth and women. The Bank is exploring innovative financing instruments, such as climate adaptation funds, carbon market linkages and results-based finance mechanisms that can lower the threshold for smallholder entry into formal finance.
In closing, Dr. Dube addressed the role of development finance in de-risking agrifood investments amidst growing climate volatility and geopolitical disruptions. He underscored that Zimbabwe is experiencing shifting investor patterns, with an increasing preference for climate-aligned, ESG-screened portfolios. He argued that development partners must play a catalytic role by underwriting early-stage risk, building investable pipelines, and crowding in commercial finance through syndication and co-investment platforms.
Dr Dube concluded by stressing the importance of building investor confidence through structured project preparation, transparent governance, and outcome-based monitoring systems. For new investors, Dr. Dube recommended leveraging IDBZ’s technical advisory and access to concessional capital as an entry point into Zimbabwe’s rapidly evolving agrifood sector.