Building Brand Zimbabwe: You Cannot Build a Plane in Full Flight

What comes to mind when you think of Zimbabwe?

The answers will vary, but are likely to paint a painful picture: poverty, potholes, hyperinflation, disputed elections, corruption, and political discord. These associations persist not only among those who know Zimbabwe but also among those who couldn't locate it on a map.

Yet all is not ruin. Victoria Falls, recently named by Forbes as the world's best destination to visit, reminds us that beauty and potential still reside here. We possess genuine assets: our beautiful, welcoming people, lovely weather, the Kariba Dam, Great Zimbabwe ruins and a highly educated population with literacy rates among Africa's highest.

The country's economic indicators show promise in 2025, with GDP growth projected at 6%, supported by agricultural recovery and record-high gold prices. But let us not deceive ourselves: one jewel, however brilliant, cannot illuminate an entire nation shrouded in shadow. A single tourist accolade cannot erase the enduring narrative of economic struggle and political strife.

What is a brand? What is Brand Zimbabwe?  For some, a brand is a logo, a visual emblem, a symbol etched into our consciousness. 

For others, it is something less tangible: a perception, a feeling, a story whispered between experiences. In truth, a brand is both the symbol and the soul behind it. It is the cumulative weight of reputation, memory, and emotion that a name evokes.

When we hear the word Apple, we do not think merely of a half-eaten fruit on gleaming devices. We think of innovation, sleek design, and aspiration. The brand extends beyond the product; it is a promise, a cultural phenomenon. And therein lies the truth: a brand is not built in a boardroom or conjured by marketing slogans. It is cultivated, over time, through what people feel when they encounter it. Brands are living things that communicate their values each day, not through declarations but through actions.

This same principle applies to nations. Countries carry brands forged not by advertising agencies but by the lived experiences of their citizens, the stories told beyond their borders, and the perceptions held by the world at large. 

The first step in rebuilding Brand Zimbabwe is not cosmetic but existential: we must admit there is a problem. True nation-building begins with humility. We must look inward, not with defiance but with candour, to confront what went wrong and how.

The challenges are formidable and cannot be wished away. The 2023 elections were widely condemned by international observers from SADC, the EU and the Commonwealth as falling short of democratic standards. Reports documented voter intimidation, ballot shortages in opposition strongholds, and an unlevel playing field. 

As of April 2025, approximately 60% of the population lived on less than $3.65 per day. Over four million people lack access to clean water. The country's water infrastructure operates at less than 50% capacity, with Harare residents enduring days without water. Zimbabwe remains in debt distress with $23.2 billion in external debt, limiting access to international financing.

These are not partisan observations but products of accumulated history, of promises made and broken, of potential unfulfilled. A nation's brand cannot be repainted in bright hues when the foundations beneath remain fractured. You cannot whitewash the consequences of misrule. And critically, you cannot build a plane while it is in full flight.

Building Brand Zimbabwe happens each day, whether we plan it or not. When citizens pursue their passions with integrity, when entrepreneurs deliver quality services, when communities practice the hospitality Zimbabwe is known for, they are building the brand unconsciously.

This collective, voluntary effort is the real foundation of any national brand. The best brands emerge not from government campaigns but from genuine experiences repeated consistently over time. 

What government does intentionally through marketing campaigns and international relations should merely put polish on these organic efforts, not create them from scratch. No amount of glossy advertising can overcome poor service delivery, infrastructure decay, or political repression. The role of government is not to manufacture a brand through propaganda but to create the conditions under which citizens can naturally project Zimbabwe's best qualities.

Research on nation branding emphasises the fact government regulatory framework is the single most important element influencing emerging economies' brands, with 95.2% of respondents identifying stakeholder collaboration as essential. The nation brand must support, not supplant, the authentic experiences of the people.

Embarking on intentional brand building while fundamental problems remain unaddressed is not just futile; it is counterproductive. It breeds cynicism, damages credibility, and wastes resources that could address real issues.

The following need deliberate fixing before any marketing campaign can succeed:

Infrastructure: The dilapidated state of basic services undermines any branding effort. Water systems, roads, electricity supply, and healthcare facilities must function reliably. Water, electricity, and transport infrastructure remain grossly underfunded in current budgets, with projections insufficient for meaningful productivity gains. 

Economic Stability: Despite recent improvements, fundamental instability persists. The currency remains fragile, inflation threatens livelihoods, and debt burdens limit opportunities. Foreign investors and tourists need confidence in basic economic functionality. No branding campaign overcomes an environment where business cannot operate predictably.

Democratic Credibility: The 2023 elections dealt severe damage to Zimbabwe's international reputation. Without concrete reforms such as an independent electoral commission, media freedom, civil society space, and accountability for political violence, brand building becomes mere window-dressing that sophisticated audiences will reject. Future elections must demonstrate a genuine commitment to democratic principles, or the cycle of damaged credibility continues.

Service Delivery: From healthcare to education, the systems that touch citizens' daily lives must work. A fragile health system where 93% lack medical coverage, underfunded schools with deteriorating infrastructure, and limited social safety nets undermine any narrative of progress. Citizens cannot be enthusiastic brand ambassadors while struggling under repression, poverty and dysfunction.

These are not problems that can be addressed while simultaneously launching aggressive branding campaigns. They require focused attention, sustained investment, and political courage to confront uncomfortable truths. Only when meaningful progress is visible can authentic branding begin.

Building Brand Zimbabwe is desirable in the long term, but it requires participation and buy-in from all stakeholders working from a foundation of truth and functionality.

Government must lead with integrity. This means governing well, policy consistency, fiscal discipline, protecting property rights, creating an enabling environment for business, not manufacturing propaganda. When government functions competently, genuine brand building is in progress.

Business must deliver quality experiences and not the mediocrity that is threatening to become a national culture. Tourism operators, hospitality providers, and service companies are frontline brand ambassadors. Their standards, professionalism, and treatment of customers directly impact brand perception. They cannot succeed without reliable infrastructure and stable economic conditions.

Citizens are the ultimate brand determinants. Their warmth, hospitality, and pride in their country shape every visitor's experience. But citizens cannot be expected to be enthusiastic brand ambassadors while experiencing poverty, water shortages, and political repression. Empowered, secure citizens naturally become the best advocates; struggling, fearful citizens cannot authentically project national pride.

Diaspora must remain engaged as contributors. Zimbabweans abroad who excel in their fields project the nation's potential. Their skills, networks, and resources can accelerate progress, but only if they believe in the possibility of positive change at home.

Our priorities are clear, namely, infrastructure rehabilitation, democratic reforms, economic stability, and debt resolution. These are not branding exercises but prerequisites for credible branding. Short-term crisis management must address the most glaring problems, such as health delivery, water systems, power generation and roads. Long-term institutional reforms require years but are essential: rule of law, property rights protection, anti-corruption measures that are serious, not performative, and human capital development to reverse brain drain.

Brand building is neither quick nor glamorous. It involves fixing water pipes before designing tourism campaigns, ensuring reliable electricity before marketing business opportunities, conducting credible elections before claiming democratic credentials. This is the hard work of governance that makes branding possible.

The building of Brand Zimbabwe is not the work of a day or a decade. It is the slow, deliberate forging of a new social contract. It begins in honesty about current realities and matures in accountability for addressing them. It demands leaders who govern with principle, citizens who act with pride despite difficulties, and a collective commitment to truth over spin.

We cannot attempt to airbrush the past or paper over present dysfunction. Brand Zimbabwe cannot be outsourced to consultants or diplomats. It is not a slogan, nor a glossy campaign manufactured in isolation from reality. It is a living thing, communicating values daily through every encounter, every transaction, every interaction with the wider world.

You cannot build a plane while it is in full flight. Zimbabwe must first land, assess the damage, make necessary repairs, and ensure all systems function properly before attempting to soar. Only when the Zimbabwe that lives in our hearts begins to resemble the Zimbabwe we show the world, when government creates conditions for success, when citizens can pursue their passions without undue restraint, when collective voluntary efforts align with intentional initiatives, will Brand Zimbabwe carry the weight it deserves.

Others have done it. So can we. But only when we prioritise substance over slogans, when we fix what is broken before declaring victory, and when we understand that true brands are not marketed into existence but lived into being.

The question is not whether Brand Zimbabwe is possible; it is whether we possess the humility to admit current realities, the courage to address them honestly, and the patience to build authentically. That is the only path to a brand worth believing in.

Cover Photo by Chloe Evans on Unsplash