Date: October 26, 2025
Nearly ten years ago, a wave of euphoria swept across Zimbabwe with the news that Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, was planning a massive investment in the country. That initial excitement, however, has long since given way to questions about the fate of the proposed multi-million dollar cement, coal, and power generation projects.
The Initial Promise (October 2015)
The news was a thunderbolt for the investment-starved nation. In October 2015, The Standard reported the following:
Reference: The Standard (October 18, 2015): “Dangote’s Zim deal done”
- The Deal: Dangote was set to return to Zimbabwe “in the next few weeks” to lay the groundwork for his multimillion investments.
- Green Light: The Zimbabwe Investment Authority (ZIA) confirmed they had issued licenses for three major projects: cement (starting with a $400 million plant), coal mining, and energy.
- Commitment: ZIA officials asserted that the Nigerian billionaire was committed, having registered a company, engaged local consultants, and dispatched a technical team (including geologists) for site work.
- The Hope: The government and public viewed the investment as a game-changer, hoping it would cut through the country’s infamous red tape and policy uncertainty.
The Current Reality (October 2025)
Fast-forward to today, October 26, 2025, and the once-imminent $1 billion integrated complex in cement, coal, and power generation has not materialised.
While Dangote Cement has successfully expanded its operations into numerous other African countries—including Zambia, South Africa, and Tanzania—Zimbabwe remains a notable exception. The company’s official operations map confirms its presence in ten countries, but there is no Dangote factory in Zimbabwe to date.
The failure of the project to move from the licensing stage to construction is often attributed to the very issues that foreign investors continue to cite:
- Bureaucracy and Red Tape: Despite initial assurances of a fast-tracked process and the issuance of ZIA licenses, investors frequently encounter persistent bureaucratic hurdles and delays in securing final permits, land, and mining concessions.
- Policy Environment: Concerns over policy consistency, economic volatility, and ease of doing business have historically made major, long-term investments difficult to execute, causing projects to stall indefinitely.
- Local Market Conditions: Some analysis suggested that the Zimbabwean market already had adequate cement production capacity at the time, leading to questions over the economic rationale for a new massive plant compared to opportunities elsewhere in Africa.
The Dangote saga serves as a high-profile case study in the challenges facing Zimbabwe in securing and retaining large-scale Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). While the country has seen intermittent periods of renewed interest—such as an advance team of geologists visiting in April 2018 under the new administration—none of these efforts have resulted in the promised construction beginning.
For the Zimbabwean economy, which desperately needs investment in manufacturing and energy infrastructure, the unfulfilled promise of the Dangote deal remains a poignant reminder that securing a licence is only the first step; the true battle is creating a stable, efficient environment where a billion-dollar vision can actually take root and grow.
