Why Zimbabwe’s IP momentum in 2025 matters for economic growth in 2026

ZIMBABWE stands at an inflection point. Quiet reforms in the country’s intellectual property (IP) system are not merely administrative tweaks.

They are foundations for inclusive innovation, economic diversification and market competitiveness.

As Zimbabwe enters 2026, the challenge is no longer convincing policymakers that IP matters.

The challenge is ensuring that IP translates to measurable economic outcomes that lift rural enterprises, boost small businesses and unleash the creative economy.

A humble but growing innovation landscape

Zimbabwe’s innovation performance remains modest by global standards. According to the Global Innovation Index, Zimbabwe’s overall score in 2025 was about 15.4 points, below the world average of 31.5 points, indicating room for improvement in institutional capacity and knowledge output.

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Yet within Africa’s regional IP ecosystem, Zimbabwe has shown notable engagement. In 2024, Zimbabwe led ARIPO member States in trademark filings, surpassing peers such as Zambia, Mauritius and Namibia. This reflects increased legal awareness among entrepreneurs and brand builders.

This growth in trademark applications, averaging over 2 000 filings, is more than a legal statistic. Trademarks build business identity, trust and credibility, enabling firms to enter supply chains and access financing. These attributes are essential for post-pandemic recovery and expansion.

2025: Institutional reform meets inclusion

Two developments in 2025 marked a structural shift.

First, the digitalisation of IP records. A collaborative project between WIPO and the Zimbabwe Intellectual Property Office (ZIPO) updated and verified over 103 000 trademark files, improving transparency and legal certainty in the national IP register. Reliable IP data is critical for investors and partners who evaluate brand portfolios before entering markets.

Second, the introduction of an inclusive fee structure. Zimbabwe introduced tiered and reduced IP fees aimed at women, students, SMEs and independent innovators. By lowering cost barriers, the policy helps to ensure that innovation protection is not confined to large firms, but is accessible to youth, community entrepreneurs and rural producers.

This represents a meaningful correction to a system that historically privileged only the most resourced economic actors. It moves the economy towards participatory innovation rather than exclusive legal corridors.

International recognition and strategic alignment

The December 2025 visit by WIPO director-general Daren Tang reinforced global confidence in Zimbabwe’s IP reform trajectory. Discussions with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and national stakeholders focused on leveraging on IP for national development strategies, supporting innovation hubs and empowering SMEs and creative professionals.

This high-level engagement strengthens Zimbabwe’s positioning in the global IP community and opens technical support avenues for commercialisation mechanisms that link ideas with markets.

Beyond registration: Turning IP into economic value

For too long, IP registrations have remained dormant in official records, symbolic rather than catalytic. Zimbabwe’s task for 2026 is to convert legal rights to tangible economic outcomes.

Measurable priorities include tracking the number and value of patents, trademarks and copyrights that lead to licensing deals, product launches or export contracts. This shifts IP from paperwork to business performance metrics.

Brand-led export growth is another critical objective. Beyond registration, Zimbabwe’s trademark surge should translate to stronger export penetration, particularly within regional markets such as Sadc and Comesa, where legal protection underpins buyer confidence.

The creative industries also show early signs of momentum. The Global Innovation Index reports that Zimbabwe produced five national feature films in 2023, a 400% increase from the previous year. While still modest, this growth signals emerging potential in cultural production.

In rural development, initiatives such as Chipinge coffee should be piloted as geographical indications. These schemes can increase rural incomes by linking origin, quality and premium pricing, much like specialty coffees, wines and teas in global markets. The recent Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications hosted in Zimbabwe underscored this potential by bringing producers and policymakers together around GI development.

Economic context demands innovation inclusion

Zimbabwe’s broader economy is showing signs of rebound. The World Bank projects GDP growth of about 6,6% for 2025, with continued positive performance into 2026, driven by agriculture, services and mining.However, growth alone is insufficient. The majority of Zimbabwe’s labour force operates in informal sectors with low productivity. Without deliberate inclusion through IP-linked commercialisation support such as technology transfer offices, business incubation, and export facilitation, the innovation divide will persist.

Vision 2030: Metrics for success

As Zimbabwe advances its national development agenda, an IP strategy anchored in measurable outcomes could include a 50% increase in licensing deals by 2030, a defined number of GI certifications delivering income uplifts for rural producers, expanded IP commercialisation support centres in universities and research institutions and quantifiable growth in IP-backed SMEs contributing to GDP growth.

Conclusion: From legal rights to real impact

Zimbabwe’s IP reforms in 2025 were significant not because they changed laws, but because they changed who can participate in the innovation economy. The true test for 2026 will be whether this momentum translates to livelihoods, jobs, and inclusive growth.

Ideas do not become value simply by being registered. They become value through market adoption, commercialisation and reinvestment in people and communities. That is the measure Zimbabwe must pursue in the year ahead.