ZIDA, WFP ink deal to boost Zimbabwe’s food security
CHENGETAI MURIMWA
The Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) has pledged to mobilise private sector investment into Zimbabwe’s food systems following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Food Programme Zimbabwe.
The agreement marks a strategic shift toward investment-led solutions in a sector long dominated by humanitarian interventions, with both parties seeking to unlock sustainable financing models for agriculture and food security.
ZIDA Chief Executive Officer, Tafadzwa Chinamo, said the agency will play a central role in identifying and linking investors to viable opportunities across agriculture and food security value chains.
“We acknowledge that there are investors, both local and international, who are interested in viable opportunities in this sector. Our role is to identify those investors, communicate these opportunities clearly, and facilitate their participation in projects that benefit communities,” said Chinamo.
He noted that while WFP has traditionally focused on emergency food assistance, the new partnership opens the door for long-term, market-driven interventions capable of transforming Zimbabwe’s food systems.
“Through this collaboration, we are looking at creating sustainable models where private investors, farmers and households all benefit. This is about moving beyond aid to investment-led solutions,” he added.
Chinamo said ZIDA will act as a bridge between investors and implementing partners, ensuring projects are structured to deliver both economic returns and measurable social impact. He stressed that investments would be aligned with national development priorities, including the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), while embedding strong accountability frameworks and performance benchmarks.
The partnership comes at a time when global humanitarian financing is under increasing strain, compelling development actors to rethink traditional funding models.
Barbara Clemens, the WFP Zimbabwe Country Representative, said the collaboration reflects a broader shift towards blended financing approaches that combine donor support, government policy backing and private capital.
“We are looking at how we bring together donors, government and the private sector to build sustainable food systems so that communities are no longer vulnerable to food insecurity,” she said.
Clemens added that private sector participation is critical if Zimbabwe is to transition from recurring humanitarian assistance to resilient, self-sustaining food systems anchored on productivity, value addition and market access.
