The Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) says US$1.95 billion has actually arrived in the country from investment projects it licensed between January 2022 and September 2026, according to its third-quarter report released on Monday and reported by New Ziana and Positive Eye News.

The figure matters because it measures money that has landed, not money promised. ZIDA's own numbers show the gap between the two is still wide.

Big promises on paper

In the third quarter alone, ZIDA issued 182 new investment licences with a combined projected value of US$2.61 billion, Positive Eye News reports. That is 64.1% more in projected value than in the second quarter (US$1.588 billion), even though the number of licences fell slightly, by 1.1%. The agency reads that as a shift towards fewer, bigger, more capital-hungry projects.

Manufacturing led with about US$1.22 billion across 49 licences, followed by mining at about US$1.06 billion across 78 licences. Together the two sectors made up 87.6% of the quarter's projected value. The Midlands province drew the largest share, about US$1.41 billion or 54% of the total, while Harare had the most licences, 81.

What has actually come in

Across all 3,882 projects licensed since January 2022, the projected value on record is US$63.63 billion. ZIDA has so far monitored 858 of them, about 22% coverage, and it is from these that the US$1.95 billion in verified inflows comes.

Most of that money has gone to a few places. Midlands and Harare account for about US$1.25 billion, or 64%, with Masvingo at about US$398 million and Mashonaland West at US$132 million. By sector, manufacturing (about US$769 million), mining (US$588 million) and agriculture (US$370 million) make up nearly 89%.

Monitored projects recorded 1,945 jobs in the quarter, and mining accounted for 1,616 of them, or 83%.

New commitments and leads

ZIDA said its promotion work reached 259 investors during the quarter and produced 44 qualified leads. Chief executive Tafadzwa Chinamo said these translated into reported commitments worth US$295.49 million, New Ziana reports. Special Economic Zones recorded three new commitments worth US$13.5 million, taking the year's total in the zones to US$470.5 million.

Why it matters

For readers at home and in the diaspora weighing up business back in Zimbabwe, the report is a reminder to look past headline licence values. Only about one in five licensed projects has been checked, and ZIDA itself says recently licensed projects need more time and support to raise finance and start operating.

The agency also flagged weak licence renewals: only 79 of 286 licences due were renewed on time in the quarter, about 27.6%. Chinamo said the focus for the final quarter is moving commitments into actual projects, helping strategic projects find financing, and improving aftercare and renewal compliance.

Sources: New Ziana (Sharon Tawuya), "ZIDA records US$1.95 billion in verified inflows, US$295 million new commitments in Q3", 3 Nov 2026: https://www.newziana.co.zw/zida-records-us1-95-billion-in-verified-inflows-us295-million-new-commitments-in-q3/ · Positive Eye News, "ZIDA Q3 2026 Report Shows Stronger Investment Approvals Amid Focus on Implementation", 3 Nov 2026: https://positiveeyenews.co.zw/2026/11/03/zida-q3-2026-report-shows-stronger-investment-approvals-amid-focus-on-implementation/ · DailyNews, "Zida targets US$2.6bn investment projects", Nov 2026: https://dailynews.co.zw/zida-targets-us2-6bn-investment-projects/

Related: Zimbabwe gazettes Cabora Bassa gas deal: a step towards Mukuyu, but it's paperwork, not production