Story by Owen Mandovha
GOVERNMENT has gazetted a law reserving specific sectors for investment by local citizens as part of its empowerment drive.
Under Statutory Instrument 215 of 2025, titled Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Regulations, foreign nationals have been given a maximum of 30 days to submit their divestment plans from sectors including passenger transport services, barber and saloon shops, grain milling, estate agencies, borehole drilling, tobacco grading and packaging, artisanal mining, bakeries, advertising agencies, pharmaceuticals, shipping and freight forwarding, and haulage services, among others.
For already existing investments, the government has given foreign nationals three years to surrender at least 75 % to locals at a minimum of 25 % per annum.
The Statutory Instrument will penalise any locals who seek to shield or assist foreign nationals to circumvent these new regulations.
However, the law allows foreigners to operate in some of the reserved sectors of the economy if they make an application to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to be granted such an exclusive permit, while businesses that fail to regularise their operations in terms of the proposed laws shall be subject to suspension or revocation of their trading licenses.
The government has reiterated its stance to empower its citizens, and the latest move is a response to calls by local people to ensure that they have access to economic opportunities.
READ FULL DOCUMENT:
S.I. 215 of 2025 Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment (Foreign Participation nom
