Analysis of Development Finance and Sustainable Infrastructure Development in Zimbabwe

After attaining independence in 1980, the government of Zimbabwe made significant progress in securing funds for infrastructure development that included building networks of electricity and roads with regional connectivity, dams, schools, hospitals, universities and colleges as well as the development of water and sewer systems. This was achieved with support from development partners and aid agencies, including internal efforts. The process of development depends on a number of variables such as technology, physical and human capital, natural resources, and social and political economic structure of the country. The government has done much work towards infrastructure development using internal and external sources of finance, including the massive current road rehabilitation. Finance for development has been regarded as the key resource in deriving economic development through investing in essential projects and assets that derive social welfare within the country. The chapter makes an analysis of the development finance and sustainable infrastructure development in Zimbabwe. This is done by making inquiries into the development finance in the context of the Zimbabwean scenario, analysis of selected determinants of development, financing sources and challenges, current infrastructure development in the country and its financing, and the positive and negative impact on the economy. This has been necessitated by the need to understand the inflationary pressure on the economy during the past two years fuelled by the funding model of the current infrastructure development in the country.