What Are They Seeing That We’re Not?

By Chiyedzo Josiah Dimbo – Ambassador of Hope

In recent months, a curious trend has emerged — one that speaks volumes about Zimbabwe’s hidden promise. Investors from China, Europe, and the Middle East are streaming in. White Zimbabweans are returning. Diaspora content creators are setting up shop. And even young South Africans are exploring Mashonaland’s chrome-rich soils with wide-eyed ambition.

And yet, among many of us at home, there’s a sense of indifference, even resignation. We scroll past opportunities in favor of gossip. We debate endlessly on politics, while others quietly build fortunes. So we must ask, with honesty and urgency:

What is it that the world is seeing in Zimbabwe… that we are not?

A Nation of Hidden Assets

Zimbabwe is blessed — and not just with minerals or rich soil. We have a well-educated population, a powerful diaspora, strong regional ties, and a youth generation full of untapped energy. For decades, our story has been overshadowed by political headlines, but the deeper reality is this: Zimbabwe is repositioning.

Our geography makes us a strategic logistics hub in Southern Africa. Our agriculture potential is once again attracting serious attention. And our natural resources — from lithium to gold, platinum to chrome — are being called “the next frontier” by international mining giants.

But beyond what lies in our ground, it’s what lies in our people that may be Zimbabwe’s greatest treasure.

Outsiders Are Not Waiting

In Harare, it’s not unusual these days to see Chinese, Belgians, and Emiratis in the same boardroom — not talking politics, but talking deals. While we debate what can’t be done, they’re investing in what can.

From tech startups in Bulawayo to solar farms in Mutoko, foreign players are carving out space in the very economy many locals have written off.

And they’re not alone.

A new wave of white Zimbabwean farmers is returning from Australia, South Africa, and the UK — not with bitterness, but with business plans. Zimbabwean YouTubers who left in the early 2000s are now returning to film content, launch brands, and buy property. What do they see?

They see a nation that, while imperfect, is undervalued and underexploited.

A Shift in Mindset Is Needed

For too long, our national psychology has been conditioned to expect disappointment. But now, the price of pessimism is missed opportunity.

Yes, we have challenges. But so does every emerging economy. What we can no longer afford is to let cynicism blind us to what’s shifting right under our feet.

Now is the time to reclaim our narrative — not by sugarcoating our issues, but by seeing Zimbabwe through a lens of potential, not paralysis.

From Complaining to Creating

Change won’t come from waiting. It will come from building.

If you’re in the diaspora, invest in that plot back home — not just for sentiment, but for strategy. If you’re a content creator, don’t just export your voice — plant it here. If you’re a student, don’t just study to escape — study to innovate.

Every other group is making a move. Why not us?

Stop Asking. Start Acting.

So let’s stop asking why others are coming.

Let’s stop waiting for someone else to fix Zimbabwe.

Let’s stop seeing ourselves as victims of a broken past, and start seeing ourselves as architects of a new chapter.

Because if they can see the promise of this nation — through the dust, the headlines, and the uncertainty — then maybe it’s time we look again.

Zimbabwe is not finished. It is just beginning. And this time, let’s not miss the moment.