Staff Writer 
Mike E. Juru
FOR decades, the narrative surrounding African infrastructure has been defined by a singular, exhausting word: the “gap.” We are told that the continent requires billions of dollars annually to bridge its deficits in transport, logistics, and commercial real estate. But as corporate leaders, institutional developers, and financiers, we need to confront a blunt truth. The problem is not a global shortage of capital. The problem is a fundamental mismatch in the design of our projects.
Global liquidity is no longer uncertain. It has developed a strict green bias. If our pipelines continue to rely on the carbon-heavy, short-sighted construction models of the past, international capital will pass us by. To unlock the elusive investment required for our growth, Africa’s infrastructure future must be built on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks from the ground up.
Follow the liquidity: The
statistical reality
To understand why traditional “brown” infrastructure is increasingly becoming dead weight on a balance sheet, corporate leaders must look at where global asset managers are legally required to allocate capital.
The global ESG investing market reached a staggering $35,48 trillion in 2025 and is projected to surpass $42 trillion this year in 2026. According to data from PwC, ESG-focused institutional investments are on track to make up more than 21 percent of total global assets under management. Furthermore, data from the World Bank indicates that cumulative labelled sustainable debt comprising green, social, and sustainability bonds has scaled past $6,3 trillion.
Western markets are saturated with capital that is structurally forbidden from investing in non-compliant projects. Europe, which commands roughly 44 percent of the global ESG investing market, has institutionalised these requirements through frameworks like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
The capital is sitting there, waiting. However, international fund managers consistently cite a severe shortage of “bankable,” ESG-aligned project pipelines in emerging markets as their primary constraint. By failing to integrate green building standards early, African developers are locking themselves out of the largest pool of liquid capital in human history.
Zimbabwe: Moving beyond
“tick-box” compliance
This capital disconnect is acutely visible in Zimbabwe. According to national climate data, the country requires approximately $4,8 billion to fulfil its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for carbon mitigation and adaptation. Yet, historical data from the World Bank shows that climate finance mobilisation has hovered at a fraction of that need, amounting to just $121 million over a recent four-year window.
Why is the investment so elusive? Because for too long, corporate Africa has treated ESG as an administrative hurdle—a “tick-box” exercise handled by compliance officers at the end of a project to appease donors.
True ESG compliance is an active engineering and financial methodology. It dictates reporting how you manage water scarcity, how you de-risk supply chains, and how you engage local communities as equity stakeholders.
Change is beginning to take shape. Initiatives like the Leveraging Investments and Finance for a Green Transition (LIFT) programme, launched in Harare in May 2026 by the Global Green Growth Institute and Sweden, are specifically designed to address this project-preparation deficit. The corporate sector must lead this charge. When we design a commercial hub or logistics centres with smart solar grids, passive cooling, and localised waste-to-energy ecosystems, we shift the conversation with international financiers from country risk to “asset resilience.”
The strategic goldmine
of asset repurposing
Embracing an ESG-first approach does not mean we must break ground on hyper-expensive, science-fiction megaprojects from scratch. In fact, the most immediate, high-ROI opportunity for corporate leaders in cities like Harare, Bulawayo, or regional hubs across the continent lies in adaptive reuse and commercial repurposing.
Building from scratch carries an immense carbon penalty through “embodied carbon” — the emissions generated during the manufacturing and transportation of new concrete, steel, and brick.
The repurposing advantage: Retrofitting an existing post-independence commercial building with modern green infrastructure can reduce embodied carbon emissions by 50 percent to 70 percent compared to new construction, while slashing time-to-market and capital expenditure.
Consider the commercial real estate sector. Vacant or aging multi-storey office blocks in urban centres can be structurally transformed. By retrofitting these buildings with greywater recycling plants, energy-efficient HVAC systems, and rooftop solar arrays, developers can instantly elevate a depreciating asset into a premium, green-certified workspace.
This is not just an environmental triumph; it is a financial strategy. Green-certified buildings command higher tenant premiums, suffer lower vacancy rates, and experience significantly reduced operational utility costs. Most importantly, an asset-repurposing portfolio can be bundled to back the issuance of local green bonds or sustainability-linked loans, drawing foreign direct investment directly into Zimbabwean real estate.
A call to C-Suite action
We can no longer afford to view sustainability as a luxury for wealthier economies. In 2026, green building is quite simply the baseline cost of entry for international financial markets.
As corporate leaders, our responsibility is to future-proof our businesses and deliver sustainable value to our stakeholders. We must demand that our project architects, engineers, and financial advisors speak the language of global capital. Stop asking how much it will cost to make a project ESG-compliant. Start asking how much it will cost your business when non-compliant infrastructure becomes an uninvestable, stranded asset.
The capital is ready. The frameworks are clear. It is time for corporate Africa to build the future it deserves.
l Juru is the Chairman of Green Building Council Zimbabwe
