Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA Holdings)Â presented its long-term investment strategy and infrastructure development programme at the Africa Infrastructure & Energy Conference (AIEC), hosted by Financial Markets Indaba.
The presentation highlighted Zimbabwe’s evolving energy landscape, ongoing sector reforms and a diversified portfolio of bankable investment opportunities aimed at expanding generation capacity, strengthening transmission infrastructure and supporting the country’s long-term economic growth.
Addressing international investors, development finance institutions, commercial banks and infrastructure developers, ZESA outlined the significant progress made within Zimbabwe’s electricity sector, including improvements in cost-reflective tariffs, strengthened revenue collection systems, smart metering, regional power market participation and implementation of the National Energy Compact.
The utility also emphasised Zimbabwe’s strategic position within the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and the growing demand for reliable electricity driven by expanding mining, industrial and agricultural activity.
The presentation highlighted Africa’s growing electricity challenge, noting the continent’s rapidly increasing energy demand alongside the need to expand reliable, affordable and sustainable power infrastructure. Against this backdrop, ZESA showcased a broad investment pipeline designed to support universal electricity access, improve energy security, modernise the national grid and enhance regional power trading capacity.
The opportunities span conventional baseload generation, renewable energy, hydroelectric development, independent power production and strategic public-private partnerships that align with Zimbabwe’s long-term energy transition objectives.
ZESA also presented an extensive transmission and grid modernisation programme aimed at strengthening the resilience, reliability and efficiency of Zimbabwe’s electricity network.
Investment opportunities include the expansion of high-voltage transmission infrastructure, construction of new substations, rehabilitation of ageing electricity networks, increased cross-border wheeling capacity, reduction of transmission bottlenecks and enhanced regional interconnectivity through the Southern African Power Pool.
These initiatives are expected to improve electricity access, facilitate industrial development, unlock new customer demand and reinforce Zimbabwe’s role as an important regional energy hub.
Recognising that successful infrastructure delivery requires diverse financing solutions, ZESA highlighted a range of partnership models available to investors, including public-private partnerships, independent power producer arrangements, strategic equity participation, concessional and commercial debt financing, and grant-supported initiatives. The utility reaffirmed its commitment to working collaboratively with development partners and private sector investors to accelerate infrastructure development while supporting sustainable economic growth and regional energy integration.
The Africa Infrastructure & Energy Conference brought together senior government officials, institutional investors, development finance institutions, commercial banks, infrastructure developers and project sponsors from across Africa and international markets to explore practical solutions for mobilising long-term private capital into the continent’s infrastructure and energy sectors. ZESA’s participation demonstrated Zimbabwe’s commitment to creating an enabling investment environment and advancing projects that strengthen energy security, improve regional connectivity and contribute to Africa’s long-term economic development.