ZIMBABWE’S energy landscape stands at a critical crossroads.
For years, the country has wrestled with chronic electricity shortages, erratic supply from ageing fossil-fuel plants and climate-induced droughts undermining hydropower at Kariba.
These constraints have stifled industrial growth, reduced competitiveness and disrupted households across the nation.
Yet Zimbabwe is not without options.
With some of the highest solar irradiation levels in the world, viable hydro resources, wind corridors and vast biomass potential, the country is uniquely positioned to leapfrog into a renewable energy future that underpins sustainable development.
The progress to date is worth recognising.
Independent power producers have begun feeding solar into the grid, with projects in Seke, Victoria Falls and Chiredzi proving that renewable generation can work within Zimbabwe’s policy environment.
The net-metering scheme has allowed businesses and households to inject excess electricity into the national grid, stabilising supply.
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Ambitious projects such as the floating solar and pumped hydro storage initiative at Osborne Dam illustrate an appetite for innovation, while the Rural Electrification Fund has expanded access to power in off-grid communities.
These successes show that Zimbabwe is capable of bold steps when political will, community participation and technical capacity converge.
At the policy and legislative level, the architecture is relatively sound.
The National Renewable Energy Policy of 2019 set clear targets for scaling renewable energy capacity to at least 2 100 megawatts by 2030.
Complementary measures such as feed-in tariffs, fiscal incentives and the net-metering programme were introduced to stimulate investment.
The Electricity Act, the Rural Electrification Fund Act and the oversight role of the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) provide the legislative scaffolding.
Taken together, these frameworks signal an official recognition of the centrality of renewable energy to national development.
Yet ambition has not consistently translated into results.
Licensing remains cumbersome, with projects delayed by duplicative procedures and drawn-out negotiations over land rights and power purchase agreements.
Transmission infrastructure is outdated, lacking the smart systems required to integrate decentralised generation.
Currency instability discourages investors, undermining the bankability of projects even where feed-in tariffs exist.
Above all, institutional fragmentation where overlapping mandates are spread across ministries creates inconsistent policies and delays.
Unless these structural bottlenecks are addressed, Zimbabwe risks falling short of its renewable energy targets.
What is required now are not incremental adjustments, but strategic interventions that shift the system towards delivery and sustainability.
The first imperative is to create a genuinely enabling regulatory environment.
Approval processes should be streamlined into a single-window system capable of fast-tracking renewable projects.
Instead of multiple agencies each exercising veto powers, a co-ordinated mechanism delivering predictable outcomes within defined timelines would reduce investor uncertainty and unlock stalled projects.
Equally urgent is modernisation of the grid.
Renewables are by nature decentralised and variable, requiring flexible infrastructure that can manage fluctuations and integrate diverse sources.
Investment in grid reinforcement, digital monitoring and energy storage is, therefore, not optional, but indispensable.
Innovative financing models such as public-private partnerships for grid upgrades, supported by collaboration within the Southern African Power Pool, could provide the resources and balancing capacity required.
Financial instruments also need reform.
Duty exemptions and tax holidays alone are insufficient in the face of foreign exchange risks.
Expanding government-backed guarantees and issuing green bonds would mitigate currency and off-taker risks, while partnerships with climate finance institutions and multilateral development banks could mobilise concessional capital.
Linking tariffs to stable benchmarks such as the US dollar would further enhance project bankability.
These measures would ensure that independent producers can access affordable financing and deliver projects to completion.
Technological innovation offers additional pathways.
Beyond conventional solar farms, Zimbabwe should accelerate deployment of floating solar arrays on reservoirs, which generate clean power while reducing evaporation losses a critical climate adaptation co-benefit.
Rural mini-grids powered by solar-biomass hybrids could be prioritised for growth centres, powering irrigation, refrigeration and agro-processing.
Such solutions would link energy access directly to economic transformation rather than treating it as an end in itself.
Parallel investment in local research and technical training is also essential.
By equipping universities and colleges to deliver specialised renewable energy programmes, Zimbabwe can develop the skilled workforce needed to design, maintain and scale these technologies sustainably.
Institutional reform will be decisive.
Zera requires strengthened capacity to enforce technical standards, monitor compliance and protect consumers.
Inter-ministerial co-ordination must be embedded into law to avoid contradictory policies that stall progress.
Renewable energy targets should be mainstreamed into national development strategies, with transparent reporting and clear accountability frameworks to ensure implementation.
Most importantly, Zimbabwe must embrace energy decentralisation.
Extending the national grid to every village is prohibitively costly and slow.
Empowering communities, co-operatives and local authorities to develop and manage their own renewable systems would accelerate access while fostering ownership.
The Rural Electrification Fund should evolve into a catalyst for community-driven mini-grids and micro-hydro projects, rather than focusing narrowly on grid connections.
Zimbabwe’s renewable journey has begun, but the current pace is insufficient to meet national development ambitions.
By aligning abundant natural resources with streamlined regulation, modern infrastructure, innovative financing, technological diversification and empowered institutions, the country can transform its energy sector from a constraint into a driver of growth.
What is required now is not more policy pronouncements, but decisive action to close the gap between targets and reality.
If this is achieved, Zimbabwe will not only resolve its energy crisis but also establish itself as a leader in the regional transition to a low-carbon, sustainable future.
- John Laisani is a research fellow at the University of South Africa, the managing director for Laisani Consulting and Advisory and an advocate of the High Court of South Africa. He is an inter-disciplinary researcher with a background in Law and a PhD in Mining and Environmental Geology, with research interest in mineral beneficiation and value addition, economic geology, mineral resources governance, environmental sustainability, renewable energy and sustainable development. He writes here in his personal capacity. He can be contacted at [email protected].
