Harare – Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa has directed his Econet group to develop employment and business opportunities for citizens returning from South Africa amid a surge in returnees.
According to Business Insider, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe CEO Douglas Mboweni said the company was working with Masiyiwa to identify opportunities in mobile money, construction and agriculture that could support the government’s reintegration efforts.
The biggest initiative is through EcoCash, which plans to appoint 15,000 new agents across Zimbabwe by Christmas. Mboweni said each agent could support at least two jobs, potentially creating income opportunities for about 30,000 people.
“Each time we appoint a new agent, that results in at least two jobs,” Mboweni said.
The positions would largely be through independent EcoCash agents rather than direct employment by Econet, with agents earning commissions from services such as deposits, withdrawals and money transfers.
Econet is also considering accelerating construction at Econet Tech City, which could create about 2,000 temporary jobs. The company is further planning to expand its agricultural technology operations, including fruit production for export to China, potentially creating hundreds more jobs.
Mboweni said agriculture was being considered because it could provide employment relatively quickly.
“We are not farmers, but we are putting money into agricultural initiatives because they are a quick way to create jobs,” he said.
According to Billionaires Africa, the initiatives form part of Masiyiwa’s broader effort to position his businesses to help absorb Zimbabweans returning from South Africa, while also expanding Econet’s operations.
The report said the plan builds on projects already underway, including the roughly $1 billion Econet Tech City, where fast-tracking construction could generate about 2,000 short-term jobs.
The combined initiatives could support more than 32,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities, although Econet has not set a single overall employment target or confirmed that all positions will be reserved exclusively for returnees.
The initiative comes as more than 115,000 Zimbabweans have returned from South Africa since late May, following tougher immigration enforcement and growing anti-immigrant pressure.
Mboweni said Econet was engaging government authorities on the initiatives and encouraged other businesses to identify ways of supporting returning Zimbabweans.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
