Zimbabwe’s Infrastructure Boom Offers Vast Opportunities, Says Fossil CEO Obey Chimuka – Eduzim News

By A Correspondent| Zimbabwe’s infrastructure drive presents vast opportunities for local companies, with thousands of kilometres of roadworks and expanding contractor participation creating room for growth, Fossil Contracting chief executive Obey Chimuka has said.

Addressing the ZIM CEOs Policy Roundtable 2026 in Victoria Falls, Chimuka said the country’s construction sector had evolved from modest beginnings during the Government of National Unity era into a space rich with potential for Zimbabweans willing to take risks and build capacity.

“If you had any piece of equipment worth mentioning, there was work for you. And that was a huge opportunity that presented itself. And I said to myself, I would want to enter this space,” he said.

Mr Chimuka recalled entering the sector with limited resources, despite scepticism from his brother, businessman Dr Kudakwashe Tagwirei. “He says,” Obey you are going to embarrass me, you don’t know roads, you are not an engineer,” he said.

He said early trust from clients proved pivotal to the company’s growth. Fossil Contracting’s first project was a road to Tagwirei’s residence, followed by a major contract with Zimplats. “It was a lucrative contract that allowed us to buy lots of equipment and it is because these people decided to trust us,” Mr Chimuka said.

The company’s breakthrough came in 2017 when it was among five contractors selected to work on the Harare-Beitbridge highway project. “We did a huge amount of work in a short period, allowing us to build capacity and trust that we can do it ourselves,” he said.

Mr Chimuka said large-scale projects such as the Trabablas Interchange were initially met with scepticism, but he was advised to focus on delivery. “Obey don’t respond to backlash, the Trabablas itself will respond. What we will build will respond for itself; it’s a product that everyone will see,” he said, recalling Dr Tagwirei’s counsel.

He added: “I said but I have never built a Trabablas, and he said the person who built the first, who did they do a Trabablas? Don’t you realise that there is always a pioneer in every sector?”

Mr Chimuka noted that the sector has since expanded significantly, with the Ministry of Transport now working with more than 100 contractors. He highlighted the scale of work available, citing over 4,500 kilometres of roads requiring rehabilitation in Harare alone and a national road network exceeding 90,000 kilometres. “Huge opportunities for Zimbabweans,” he said.

On financing, Mr Chimuka said local funding solutions exist if businesses adopt innovative approaches. He outlined Fossil Contracting’s strategy of building an integrated ecosystem to reduce reliance on external inputs.

“Our ecosystem must not have key variables that depend on externals… That’s why we ended up having our own crushing plant, our sand washing plant, our own scaffolding plant, our own beam making plant, our own concrete baking plant, then we said we must have a cement plant to complement it,” he said.

He urged business leaders to collaborate rather than compete destructively, saying shared knowledge could accelerate national development. “Rather than vilify each other, let’s celebrate each other, let’s share notes and find how we can transform this place,” he said.

Mr Chimuka described Zimbabwe as a country of immense promise if viewed with the right mindset. “Opportunities are huge… this country is one of the greatest countries you could ever be in,” he said.

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