Green building: Missing cog in NDS2

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Mike E. Juru

ZIMBABWE’S aspiration to be­come an upper-middle-income economy by 2030, as articulated in Vision 2030, is underpinned by a se­ries of rolling development blueprints, notably the National Development Strat­egy 2 (NDS2) 2026-2030. While much attention has been focused on macro­economic stability, industrialisation, and infrastructure expansion, an increasingly critical but underexplored dimension is the role of green building in shaping a resilient and sustainable economy.

As climate change intensifies and resource constraints deepen, integrating environmentally responsible construc­tion into national policy is no longer optional, it is strategic. For Zimbabwe, the convergence of NDS2 and green building principles offers a pathway to economic transformation that is both sus­tainable and globally competitive. Green building offers a powerful, cross-cutting solution that can help deliver multiple national objectives simultaneously, that is, economic growth, energy security, climate resilience, and improved living standards.

Zimbabwe faces a complex develop­ment landscape with increased popula­tion, rising urbanisation giving impetus to housing demand, energy shortages and high-power costs, water scarcity and climate vulnerability, pressure on public infrastructure and services. Interestingly, NDS2 recognises these challenges and emphasises modern infrastructure, sus­tainability, and inclusive growth. How­ever, delivering these ambitions effi­ciently requires integrated solutions that maximise impact across sectors, and this is where green building stands out.

While there are many definitions, the principles remain the same, green building refers to the design, construc­tion, and operation of buildings that use energy, resources and water efficiently, incorporate renewable energy sources, reduce waste and environmental impact, enhance occupant health and productiv­ity. In essence, green building is more than construction, it is a transformation of buildings from being passive consum­ers of resources into active contributors to social, economic and environmental goals.

Vision 2030’s success hinges heavily on infrastructure expansion, specifically on housing, commercial spaces, and in­dustrial hubs. Green building strengthens this pillar in several ways, namely;

l Lowering cost of growth: Efficient buildings reduce electricity and water consumption, easing pressure on nation­al utilities and lowering operating costs for businesses and households.

l Enhancing competitiveness: Mod­ern, energy-efficient buildings attract investors, tenants, and international partners increasingly guided by ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) standards.

l Improving quality of life: Better indoor air quality, natural lighting, and thermal comfort contribute to healthier, more productive communities central to inclusive development.

NDS2 is expected to deepen the country’s focus on climate-smart infra­structure and sustainable urban develop­ment. Green building acts as a practical delivery mechanism for these priorities as it draws attention to the following;

l Energy security and efficiency: Buildings are among the largest con­sumers of electricity. By integrating solar energy, efficient lighting, and insulation, green buildings can significantly reduce demand on the national grid, support­ing Zimbabwe’s push toward energy self-sufficiency while reducing power importation bill.

l Climate resilience: With increasing droughts and temperature fluctuations, buildings designed for natural cooling, water harvesting, and efficient resource use reduce vulnerability to climate shocks.

l Urban sustainability: Zimbabwean cities are expanding and green buildings reduce congestion in energy and water systems while promoting smarter land use, key to sustainable urbanisation un­der NDS2.

In essence, NDS2 can be implement­ed through green building. Positioning green building as part of the national strategy would naturally unlock new economic pathways such as job creation in design, construction, and maintenance of sustainable infrastructure, local manu­facturing of eco-friendly materials such as solar components, insulation products, and efficient fittings, local production on its own brings in a lot of benefits to the nation, growth in financial services, including green mortgages, sustainabili­ty-linked loans, and infrastructure funds. New economic opportunities in the green transition are unlocked.

Banks and institutional investors can play a catalytic role by prioritizing ESG criteria in lending decisions. Green build­ing represents a bankable opportunity aligned with long-term national goals.

Zimbabwe is still in the early stages of adopting green building practices, but there are encouraging developments such as growing awareness among developers and some financial institutions taking the initiative to build their offices green. De­spite its benefits, green building adoption in Zimbabwe has remains limited. Key challenges include mystery around per­ceived higher upfront capital costs, limit­ed awareness on entire lifecycle benefit, limited access to affordable green financ­ing, lack of standardised regulations and certifications, skills shortages in sustain­able construction. Addressing these bar­riers is critical if green building is to fully serve as a solution under NDS2.

To elevate green building from con­cept to national driver, policy alignment is essential with the mandatory adoption of green standards as the first key step. This was done successfully in Rwanda, Singapore and Columbia. Further, pro­viding tax incentives, duty exemptions on green technologies, and subsidised financing would make sustainable con­struction more accessible. The introduc­tion of mandatory energy and resource efficiency standards ensures that all new developments contribute to national sus­tainability goals. It is always important to lead by example, Public sector leader­ship should be embraced on all govern­ment projects, such as, schools, hospitals and offices, as it should lead by example embedding green building principles at scale. Lastly, training programmes for the built-environment professionals, reg­ulators, local authorities and awareness campaigns for developers and consum­ers will accelerate adoption.

The success of NDS2 will be en­hanced through a deliberate green building policy which brings innova­tive financing such as green bonds to fund large-scale infrastructure, blended finance models to reduce investor risk, climate finance partnerships with in­ternational institutions and sustainable housing finance products for households. These instruments not only mobilise capital through financing the transition but would also signal Zimbabwe’s com­mitment to a low-carbon development pathway.

Zimbabwe’s development ambition requires more than expansion, it requires efficiency, resilience, and sustainabili­ty. Green building provides a concrete, scalable way to achieve all three. To fully harness green building as a solution to NDS2, Zimbabwe must adopt a coher­ent policy mix that combines regulation, incentives, financing, and capacity build­ing. By mainstreaming green building within NDS2, Zimbabwe can reduce in­frastructure costs, strengthen energy and water security, create jobs and new in­dustries, attract responsible investment, attract funding and improve citizens’ quality of life.

Green building is not just comple­mentary to national development plans; it is part of the solution. The structures Zimbabwe builds today will shape its economic and environmental future. Building green is, therefore, not just a choice, but a strategic imperative. In short, effective policy reform can trans­form green building from a niche con­cept into a national development driver, helping Zimbabwe build smarter, faster, and more sustainably toward a desired future.

l Juru is an accomplished business lead­er who is the current chairman of the Green Building Council Zimbabwe, Valuers Council of Zimbabwe and CEO of Integrated Properties. Previous na­tional leadership roles include chairman of Institute of Directors Zimbabwe, president of Real Estate Institute of Zimbabwe, inaugural chairman of RE­ITs Association, vice president ZNCC. He has sat on several boards in the pri­vate and public sector. He passionately leads the transformation of Zimbabwe’s built environment to sustainability.