BULAWAYO – Large parts of Zimbabwe remain underexplored despite the country’s rich mineral endowment, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said on Thursday, calling for increased investment in geological mapping, and mineral exploration to unlock new discoveries.
Addressing the inaugural Exploration Forum held alongside Mine Entra 2026 in Bulawayo, Chiwenga said Zimbabwe could not fully exploit its mineral wealth without first understanding the extent of its underground resources.
“We cannot benefit from resources that remain unexplored, understudied, poorly understood, or inadequately mapped,” Chiwenga said.
He said Zimbabwe was endowed with critical minerals and rare earth elements that were in growing demand as countries raced to secure supplies for artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, electric vehicles, and the global transition to clean energy
“This inaugural Exploration Indaba marks the beginning of a new national journey, one that places geological knowledge, scientific discovery, innovation, and modern exploration at the center of Zimbabwe’s mining future,” he said.
Chiwenga said exploration was the gateway to expanding the economy, attracting responsible investment, and unlocking the full value of Zimbabwe’s mineral resources.
He called for renewed investment in geological mapping, airborne surveys, geophysical studies, and modern digital cadastral systems to bridge gaps in the country’s geological knowledge.
The Vice President also commended the Geological Survey Department for providing the scientific information that underpins mineral exploration and praised progress towards a computerised mining cadastre system.
Once fully operational, the digital platform is expected to manage more than 60,000 mining licenses, reduce overlapping claims, improve administrative efficiency, and enhance transparency in the allocation of mineral rights, he said.
Chiwenga said the government had tabled the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill, which seeks to modernise the sector by streamlining licensing procedures, strengthening environmental safeguards, improving investor confidence and ensuring mining communities benefit from mineral development.
He said mineral exploration would be central to Zimbabwe’s ambition of transforming mining into a driver of industrialisation, exports, and economic growth under the National Development Strategy.
The symposium brought together government officials, mining executives, geologists, investors, financial institutions, and development partners to discuss ways of accelerating mineral exploration and positioning Zimbabwe as a preferred destination for mining investment.
