Strengthening community-centered resource governance in Mbire and Muzarabani districts, Zimbabwe

The report identifies significant gaps in the governance of the Cabora Bassa oil and gas project in Zimbabwe, noting that consultations have primarily targeted political and traditional leaders rather than the broader community. It highlights extreme poverty, acute climate vulnerability, and collapsed infrastructure in Mbire and Muzarabani districts, warning that current employment patterns are driven by political affiliation and nepotism. The authors argue for the institutionalization of continuous community engagement, transparent benefit-sharing, and strategic investment in climate adaptation and essential services to avoid repeating historical patterns of extractive wealth failing to benefit local populations.

• Community consultations for the Cabora Bassa project have been limited to traditional and political leadership, leaving ordinary residents with limited awareness of project details and exploration results.
• Access to employment opportunities related to the project is heavily influenced by political networks and nepotism, specifically linked to ZANU-PF, rather than merit-based systems.
• The Mbire and Muzarabani districts suffer from severe socio-economic challenges, including extreme poverty rates of 88.4% in some wards and a collapsed healthcare and education system.
• Extractive activities, particularly gold mining, are linked to social degradation including child labour, early marriages, and gender-based violence, with children in grades six and seven dropping out of school to mine.
• The region faces high climate vulnerability, with over 70% of households in Mbire highly vulnerable to flooding and shifted rainfall patterns reducing crop yields.
• Local energy access is precarious, characterized by unreliable national grid electricity, expensive gas (US$2.50 per kg), and a reliance on firewood that causes environmental siltation.

APA

Mashingaidze, S., Makururu, F., & Nyarota, D. (n.d.). Strengthening community-centered resource governance in Mbire and Muzarabani districts, Zimbabwe. Good Governance Africa. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2026/02/GGA-SATrust-Zimbabwe-Report.pdf

Chicago

Mashingaidze, Sikhululekile, Farai Makururu, and Donald Nyarota. Strengthening community-centered resource governance in Mbire and Muzarabani districts, Zimbabwe. Good Governance Africa, n.d. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2026/02/GGA-SATrust-Zimbabwe-Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mashingaidze |first1=Sikhululekile |last2=Makururu |first2=Farai |last3=Nyarota |first3=Donald |title=Strengthening community-centered resource governance in Mbire and Muzarabani districts, Zimbabwe |publisher=Good Governance Africa |url=https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2026/02/GGA-SATrust-Zimbabwe-Report.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mashingaidzendstrengthening, author = {Mashingaidze, Sikhululekile and Makururu, Farai and Nyarota, Donald}, title = {{Strengthening community-centered resource governance in Mbire and Muzarabani districts, Zimbabwe}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, url = {https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2026/02/GGA-SATrust-Zimbabwe-Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }