A Historical Review of Zimbabwe’s Foreign Direct Investment Law

This paper explores the legal framework governing Zimbabwe’s foreign direct investments (FDI) in Zimbabwe from the independence to the present. It assesses how policy shifts from liberal to restrictive and then a pragmatic approach has created legal uncertainty, thereby deterring sustained FDI inflow despite Zimbabwe being geo-strategically located and endowed with abundant natural resources. This paper argues that legal uncertainty as influenced by political ideologies has been a principal barrier to investor confidence. It concludes by recommending reforming the FDI framework in line with best practices.