BULAWAYO, Apr.22 (NewsDay Live) - Zimbabwe can accelerate its push towards upper middle-income status by harnessing its educated young population, unlocking diaspora capital and expanding digital and physical infrastructure, an expert has said.
Speaking at the 2026 International Business Conference on Wednesday, Kunyalala Maphala, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu African Leadership Institute chief executive said the country’s biggest advantage lies in its human capital, particularly a young, educated and increasingly tech-savvy population.
“The first and most significant opportunity we have as a country is the human capital dividend,” she said.
“We have one of Africa's most intellectually vibrant young populations, which is educated, ambitious, and increasingly tech savvy.”
Maphala said advances in artificial intelligence and digital platforms now allow Zimbabweans to compete globally without leaving the country.
“The advent of AI and large language models means generation is no longer restricted to solving Zimbabwe problems. They can serve the globe from Zimbabwean soil which can encourage the setting of global industries locally,” she said.
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However, she warned that the opportunity could be lost without deliberate policy support.
“Unless we can meet them at their point of need, we would have squandered an opportunity as a country,” Maphala said, calling for investment in digital skills, coding academies and AI literacy programmes.
She said Zimbabwe’s human capital extends beyond youth, pointing to a highly educated population and a resilient entrepreneurial culture built during years of economic strain.
“The question on that is how do we turn that form of survivalist entrepreneurial culture from an everyday hustling into formal contributors into the economy?” she said.
Maphala also urged policymakers to better integrate the diaspora, which continues to support the economy through remittances.
“These are communities that held the country together at the most difficult time and continue to do so through the remittances that we speak of,” she said.
“But many of them… want to come back home. The question is what is it that we need to put in place in order to allow them to actually do so?”
She said incentives similar to those offered to foreign investors could unlock greater diaspora participation.
On infrastructure, Maphala stressed that affordable internet access is critical to economic transformation.
“Broadband connectivity must be treated as a basic human need, not as a luxury,” she said, adding that universal access would enable citizens to work, trade and innovate globally.
She also called for faster investment in transport, energy and urban infrastructure, saying growth depends on a supportive environment.
“We know that money goes where it will grow and where it will attract more money,” she said.
Maphala highlighted air connectivity as an overlooked growth lever, advocating for low-cost domestic flights to improve mobility.
“A 45-minute flight should be as accessible as a bus ticket,” she said.
She described tourism as underexploited despite Zimbabwe’s world-class attractions, urging better connectivity and stronger marketing.
At the same time, she said agriculture, mining and services remain central to growth, particularly as global demand for minerals such as lithium rises.
But she cautioned that high operating costs continue to hold back investment.
“Tariff and non-tariff barriers, regulatory complexities, the high utility costs, and the transport bottlenecks remain real impediments to growth,” she said.
“The goal is not merely a better business environment. The goal is dignity — employed people.”
Maphala said while the National Development Strategy 2 sets out a clear roadmap, the focus must now shift to delivery.
“What we owe to this moment is urgency… the courage to go further and to go faster,” she said.
“It’s not whether Zimbabwe can achieve upper middle-income status. The question is how fast do we choose to move.”