Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube met with Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) President Zou Jiayi this week to discuss economic development matters, as Zimbabwe formally advances its membership bid to join the international financial institution.
Zimbabwe formally expressed interest to join the AIIB in May 2026.
The meeting, which included AIIB senior management, centered on alignment between AIIB’s mandate and Zimbabwe’s infrastructure development needs.
“…the bank’s priority areas strongly resonate with the country’s development agenda, particularly climate change resilience and hydro-infrastructure development,” Ncube noted, according to a post on X by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.
Ncube emphasized that Zimbabwe is seeking long-term financing and technical partnership to expand sustainable energy and water systems, which are central to the country’s economic transformation.
Jiayi said commended Zimbabwe for achieving single digit inflation, describing such developments as critical foundations for sustainable development and successful infrastructure investment.
She outlined AIIB’s four priority areas namely; sustainable infrastructure development, green and climate-resilient infrastructure, regional connectivity and integration, and mobilisation of capital for private sector development financing.
“These pillars guide the Bank’s financing approach across transport, energy, water, urban development, digital infrastructure and climate resilience projects,” Jiayi said.
Both parties agreed to continue technical engagements toward Zimbabwe’s potential membership and project pipeline development, with a shared commitment to advancing sustainable, inclusive and climate-resilient infrastructure growth.