Harare- President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed Clemence Chiduwa, Member of Parliament for Zaka South, as Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Investment Promotion, marking a return to the Executive for the economist-turned-legislator after three years on the backbenches.

The appointment, announced Wednesday in a statement by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Martin Rushwaya, takes effect immediately in terms of Section 104, Subsection (2) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

Chiduwa is no stranger to government. He previously served as Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development from 2019 until his omission from Cabinet following the August 2023 general elections, despite retaining his parliamentary seat.

In that role, he was a vocal defender of the foreign currency auction system, pushed for transparency in the pension industry, and argued for long-term savings to fund infrastructure under the National Development Strategy 1.

His return to the Executive is widely viewed as a reward for persistence. Rather than fading into the backbench after 2023, Chiduwa remained active in parliamentary oversight.

He chaired the Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, where he gained a reputation for rigorous scrutiny of Treasury officials. He later took over the Portfolio Committee on Industry and Commerce, becoming one of Parliament’s most consistent voices on industrial policy and tax reform.

Beyond his parliamentary work, Chiduwa brings a substantial professional background to the ministry. He holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Zimbabwe and has lectured at Midlands State University, Namibia University of Science and Technology, and the University of Namibia.

He has also undertaken consultancy assignments for regional and international institutions, including work as a lead consultant for the Namibia Airports Company and as a writeshop capacity development expert for UN-Habitat, the African Union, and the African Development Bank.

He is the founder of the Institute for Capacity Development, an organisation focused on economic development with branches across several African countries.

Before entering Parliament, Chiduwa worked as a senior economist at the Industry and Commerce ministry and as an investment analyst in the Office of the President and Cabinet.

He entered politics through the Zaka East by-election in September 2019, following the death of Castain Gumbwanda, and was sworn in as Deputy Minister of Finance barely two months later. He subsequently won the Zaka South seat in the 2023 general elections.

Chiduwa now returns to a ministry central to investment promotion and economic coordination, the very issues he has championed from the backbench. His appointment places him under Minister Kudakwashe Tagwirei, who was appointed to lead the newly restructured ministry in October 2026.

Supporters describe his trajectory as a testament to resilience. “He never stopped working,” said one fellow legislator. “He kept pushing for industry, for Zaka South, and for the economy even when he was outside Cabinet.”

Chiduwa’s return signals continuity in the government’s economic leadership, a figure with established relationships in Treasury and a demonstrated command of fiscal and industrial policy detail, now tasked with supporting a minister new to the economic portfolio.