Foreign-trained doctors required to sit for Zimbabwe exams

Foreign businesses given deadline to exit Zimbabwe reserved sectors
Foreign-owned businesses operating in sectors reserved for Zimbabwean citizens have been granted until 2027 to either exit those industries or partner with local investors under new government regulations aimed at boosting citizen participation in the economy.

The policy, introduced through Statutory Instrument 215 of 2025, restricts certain business activities exclusively to Zimbabwean citizens and bars foreign operators from continuing in those sectors unless they comply with the new requirements.

Responding to a question in Parliament, Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi said the government was allowing a transition period to enable affected companies to adjust to the new policy framework.

"Since the Statutory Instrument was passed last year, the Government is now supposed to be doing a survey. It is still too early for the Government to do a survey," he said.

Ziyambi explained that the grace period was intended to give businesses sufficient time to reorganise their operations and find local partners where necessary before the deadline.

"We agreed to give people time and those businesses to find people to share with, so they can exit by 2027," he said.

The government says the measure is part of broader efforts to increase Zimbabwean ownership and participation in key sectors of the economy, while ensuring that businesses already operating in those areas are given adequate time to comply.

Authorities also indicated that consultations between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (Zimbabwe) and business stakeholders will continue as the policy is rolled out.

"Let us give the Government time so that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and business people can meet and deliberate on businesses run by foreigners so that they can exit and surrender their business shares," Ziyambi said.