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Zimbabwe has introduced new regulations restricting the participation of foreign nationals in seventeen economic sectors and sub-sectors that are reserved for local citizens.
Under Statutory Instrument 215 of 2025, foreigners are barred from operating in sectors such as artisanal mining, bakeries, advertising agencies, salons, employment agencies, and the local arts and crafts industry.
However, in certain sectors — including retail, wholesale, trucking, grain milling, and shipping — foreign participation is permitted only for large-scale investors, according to a report by a Zimbabwean newspaper.
The publication states that in the retail and wholesale sectors, a foreign investor must commit at least US$20 million and employ 200 people.
In the haulage industry, the minimum investment requirement is US$10 million with 100 employees, while in grain milling, a foreign investor must invest US$25 million and employ at least 50 people.
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For shipping and forwarding, the threshold is set at US$1 million with a minimum workforce of 20 employees.
The transport, estate agency, and clearing and customs sectors remain exclusively reserved for Zimbabwean citizens, except in cases involving international brands.
Existing foreign-owned businesses operating in the reserved sectors have been given three years to comply with the new rules by selling 75 percent of their shares to Zimbabwean citizens, with 25 percent to be divested each year.
The regulations will not affect foreign participation in other areas of the economy, including large-scale mining, banking, and other industries.
Sectors exclusively reserved for Zimbabweans include barber shops, hairdressing and beauty salons, employment agencies, valet services, bakeries, tobacco grading and packaging, advertising agencies, local arts and crafts marketing and distribution, artisanal mining, borehole drilling, and pharmaceutical retail.
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