Zimbabwe's Richest Man Urges Local Venture Funding, Pushes For High School Entrepreneurship

Zimbabwes richest man and only billionaire, Strive Masiyiwa, is making a renewed push to reshape Africas business landscape. Hes calling for structured domestic venture capital and advocating for entrepreneurship to be a core subject in high schools.

Masiyiwa, the founder of Econet Global, argues that African startups shouldnt have to rely on foreign investors to secure funding. He believes a stronger local investment ecosystem would create a more sustainable future for entrepreneurs across the continent.

In a recent LinkedIn post , Masiyiwa stressed the need for entrepreneurship to be treated like any other high school subjectstructured, examined, and practical. He wants students to graduate with a clear understanding of how to start a business, raise capital, and pitch to investors.

Our message on venture capital in Africa is getting through, but you must persist, he wrote. As part of formal education in our high schools, we need to introduce a course in entrepreneurship, which is examined in exactly the same way as other school subjects. Students leaving high school must know the formal process of starting a business, including the process to raise startup money and how to make a pitch to investors.

Beyond education, Masiyiwa is also pushing for African stock exchanges to become real capital-raising platforms for high-growth businesses. He recently met with an African ambassador in London who sought further insight into his remarks at the World Economic Forum, where he emphasized the need for homegrown venture funding.