Old Mutual Zimbabwe closed the curtain on the Top Companies Survey 2025 with a ceremony that felt less like an awards event and more like a strategic briefing on the future of African enterprise. The gathering, held in Harare recently, blended recognition with a powerful argument: Zimbabwean companies are no longer simply competing locally they are positioning themselves to help define Africa’s next economic chapter.
The awards honoured firms that, in Old Mutual’s words, “continue to raise the bar, push boundaries, and shape Zimbabwe’s economic future.” Winners spanned the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE), the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX), banking, insurance, ESG, agriculture, mining and investor relations.
Winners Reflect a Market in Motion
This year’s top performers signalled a resilient and increasingly diversified business landscape:
Top Company Award – ZSE
- Delta Corporation
- Econet Wireless Zimbabwe
- CAFCA
Top Company Award – VFEX
- Caledonia Mining Corporation
- Padenga Holdings
- Simbisa Brands
Investor Relations, ESG & Sector Awards
- Disclosure & IR: Delta Corporation and Caledonia Mining
- Investor Returns: NMB Bank and FCB Holdings
- Banking Excellence: Stanbic, Ecobank, First Capital Bank
- Insurance & Reinsurance: NicozDiamond, ZB Life, ZB Reinsurance, FBC Reinsurance
- ESG Champion: Seedco
- Most Improved: Dairibord Zimbabwe
- Export Agriculture Champion: Horticulture Development Council
- Mining House of the Year: Zimplats
These winners from fast-moving consumer goods to horticulture, mining, fintech and telecoms, underscore how Zimbabwean firms are leaning into innovation despite tough macroeconomic conditions. Delta, Econet, Caledonia and Zimplats, in particular, continue to anchor key sectors while investing in digitalisation, sustainability and export-driven models.
Old Mutual praised the recognised companies for demonstrating “resilience, innovation and leadership in a rapidly evolving economy.”
A Turning Point: Technology as the Next Frontier
Old Mutual Group Marketing, Public Affairs and Sustainability Executive, Lillian Mbayiwa, delivered one of the ceremony’s defining calls to action.
Her warning was concise and forward-leaning:
“The awards are done and the real work begins. Every leader here must re-engineer for a digital, AI-enabled future. It’s time to build the partnerships and capabilities that will carry Zimbabwe into the next decade,” she said.
Her message reflects a broader sentiment across the continent that the next wave of African entrepreneurship will be shaped by data, artificial intelligence, energy transition and export-led agriculture.
Keynotes That Positioned Africa as a Global Competitor
Two voices anchored the morning with sharp insights shaped by global trends but grounded in African realities.
Nicholas de Swardt, CEO of Cicada and keynote speaker, mapped a blueprint for creating new industries rooted in AI, sustainable land use, regenerative agriculture and carbon markets. He argued that these are not distant possibilities but immediate opportunities.
His message was unmistakable, Zimbabwe has the “capability and creativity to lead Africa’s next era of sustainable, tech-driven growth.”
Guest of honour, Oswald Jumira, CEO of Liquid Cloud and Cyber Security (South Africa), challenged companies to move faster and think bigger.
He reminded the room that:
- “Africa can build service-led economies powered by AI and those who innovate fastest will win.”
- “Zimbabwe must build the right capabilities to truly leapfrog.”
His emphasis on “service-led economies” aligns with continental trends in cloud computing, fintech, agritech and digital security sectors rapidly pulling Africa into the global digital economy.
Celebrating Local Champions and Their Momentum
Modus Media – JMS Group CEO, Pilate Machadu, grounded the ceremony in the achievements of local businesses, noting,
“The power of AI can never be overstated… we are here to celebrate local businesses who are thriving.”
The remark resonated across the room, especially among SMEs seeking pathways to scale. Many see AI and digital tools as levellers that can unlock productivity without requiring massive capital.
Old Mutual Group CEO, Sam Matsekete, expanded on this vision by framing AI not as a trend but a structural force. He explained that AI is a catalyst to accelerate digitalisation, transform manufacturing, grow technology-driven services and power the shift to renewable energy. For a country hungry for new revenue streams and more resilient supply chains, these technologies present open terrain.
The event reinforced a wider continental shift: African businesses are increasingly designing homegrown models rather than copying global ones.
Zimbabwe’s top companies whether Delta’s manufacturing scale, Econet’s telecom innovation or Padenga’s agricultural exports, illustrate a marketplace steadily retooling for competitiveness.
And although the awards celebrated individual organisations, the underlying story was collective. These companies represent a broader movement toward African-led growth, digital sophistication and climate-smart enterprise.
A Morning of Vision, Pressure and Optimism
For entrepreneurs across Africa, the message was clear: the region’s next economic rise will be built by those who adapt early, invest in technology and pursue sustainability not as an obligation but as an advantage.
Old Mutual summed up the spirit of the event: it was “a morning packed with vision, challenge and inspiration and definitely a brilliant build-up to celebrating Zimbabwe’s leading companies.”
The ceremony may be over, but as Mbayiwa reminded the room the real work begins now.
