Dangote a potential 'game-changer' for Zimbabwe

The return of Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote to Zimbabwe to pursue a potential US$1 billion investment is being hailed as a decisive moment for the country's economic prospects, according to Bard Santner CEO Senziwani Sikhosana. Speaking at the Bard Santner Golf Day on Saturday, Sikhosana described the agreement between the government and Dangote Group as a signal that Zimbabwe is ready to attract global capital again.

Sikhosana noted that his firm, a leading financial intermediary, had advised on what he described as a "historic process" that capped a 16-month private campaign to convince Dangote to return after his abandoned 2015 plans.

"This moment is not just a transaction. It is a turning point," Sikhosana told bankers and industrialists. "It is a signal that global capital is beginning to listen again. Zimbabwe is stabilising and stepping into a new economic season."

Dangote visited Zimbabwe last week and expressed interest in cement manufacturing, coal mining, power generation, and a fuel pipeline linking Walvis Bay in Namibia to Bulawayo. The billionaire's renewed engagement follows years of frustration after his initial plans to build a cement plant in 2015 collapsed amid what journalist and business adviser Josie Mahachi described as a "toxic business environment."

"Honestly, I had really closed the Zimbabwe chapter between Aliko Dangote and my country," Mahachi said, recalling how early excitement "fell into unexplained obscurity." Mahachi, who collaborated with Sikhosana to revive the talks, said convincing Dangote to reconsider Zimbabwe was challenging. "Fast forward, here we are. We said to Aliko, ‘let's try again,'" she said.

The renewed outreach included visits to a Dangote Group plant in Nigeria, laying the groundwork for last week's visit, during which Dangote met President Emmerson Mnangagwa and signed an investment agreement. The billionaire said he was encouraged by perceived improvements in the investment climate under the current administration.

Sikhosana revealed that negotiations began in June 2024 and were conducted with strict confidentiality. "No leak. No whisper. No breach," he said, describing this discipline as both cultural and essential to building investor confidence.

He added that Dangote's engagement is already generating international interest and described the development as a "doorway" rather than just a deal. "This is not simply a deal. It is a doorway. Not a moment, but a movement. The Dangote engagement is not a landmark, it is a launchpad," he said.

Sikhosana credited government leadership for enabling the breakthrough, stating, "Dangote's arrival, championed by the president, is proof of what becomes possible when courage, clarity and competence meet in the same room."

Following the signing of the commitment, Dangote has deployed a technical team to Zimbabwe, setting in motion plans that could define a new chapter in the country's economic trajectory.