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Zimbabwe recently passed laws (effective December 2025) requiring foreign-owned small businesses in specific sectors (like salons, bakeries, transport) to transfer 75% ownership to local Zimbabweans within three years (by 2028)

Zimbabwe has passed a law forcing foreign businesses to give 75% ownership to locals within three years. Failure to comply will result in closure or the need to leave the country. The law targets small and everyday businesses such as salons, bakeries, spaza shops, tire fitments, transport services, recycling, small-scale manufacturing, and artisanal mining, which are now reserved for locals.

Large foreign investors can continue if they make substantial investments and employ more than 100 Zimbabweans. Zimbabwe recently passed laws (effective December 2025) requiring foreign-owned small businesses in specific sectors (like salons, bakeries, transport) to transfer 75% ownership to local Zimbabweans within three years (by 2028), aiming to empower citizens, though critics fear it could deter investment, while larger foreign investment in capital-intensive sectors remains possible.

Targeted Businesses primarily small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in everyday services, including hair salons, bakeries, retail shops, transport, and artisanal mining.

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This move updates Zimbabwe’s indigenisation policy, first introduced in 2008, with stricter enforcement and a focus on grassroots economic empowerment, drawing mixed reactions within the country and internationally.