Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) aims to achieve industrialisation, private-sector-led growth, and enhanced human capital. Yet these ambitions depend on a foundational driver too often overlooked: population health. Health is not merely a social good; it is an economic strategy.
By Brighton Musonza
Evidence from global and regional contexts shows that healthier populations are more productive, contribute higher lifetime earnings, and strengthen fiscal stability. Countries such as Singapore, Chile, and Rwanda have demonstrated that aligning health initiatives with national development planning creates resilient workforces that sustain industrial and service-sector expansion.
Human Capital, Productivity, and Economic Growth
Healthy populations translate directly into economic performance. Reduced mortality and morbidity allow individuals to remain active in the labour market, pursue education, and engage in entrepreneurial activity. In Brazil, integrated maternal and early childhood health programmes increased adult productivity and lifetime income. In Rwanda, community health insurance schemes have kept large portions of the working-age population healthy, increasing labour participation and supporting local economic growth.
In Zimbabwe, NDS2’s focus on industrialisation and export-led growth requires a workforce capable of meeting productivity demands. Poor health and preventable diseases impose hidden costs through absenteeism, presenteeism, and caregiving burdens, all of which constrain labour supply and economic potential. Investments in population health, therefore, represent not only social but economic imperatives.
Early-Life Interventions and Long-Term Gains
Investing in early childhood health, nutrition, and adolescent mental wellbeing yields compounding benefits. Evidence from Thailand and Chile shows that children who experience improved nutrition and healthcare are more likely to complete higher education, achieve better cognitive outcomes, and earn higher incomes as adults. For Zimbabwe, integrating such interventions within NDS2 can enhance the nation’s talent pool, ensuring that industrial, technology, and service sectors have the skilled, healthy workforce required for sustained growth.
Quantitative projections suggest that a 10–15% improvement in health outcomes among working-age Zimbabweans could increase GDP by up to 3–5% over the next decade, largely driven by expanded labour force participation and reduced healthcare-related absenteeism.
Combating Drugs and Illegal Alcohol: Economic and Health Benefits
Zimbabwe faces rising challenges from drug abuse and the illegal alcohol market, facilitated by the widespread use of foreign currencies, particularly the US dollar. These activities depress productivity, increase healthcare and social costs, and create social instability. Regional evidence illustrates the scale of the problem: in South Africa, alcohol-related absenteeism reduces annual GDP by an estimated 1–2%, while illicit drug markets in Kenya and Nigeria drain fiscal resources and disrupt labour markets.
Implementing a single, stable national currency could mitigate these risks by reducing the financial incentives that enable illicit trade, improving market transparency, and facilitating more effective law enforcement. By curbing drug and alcohol abuse, Zimbabwe could recover lost labour productivity, reduce avoidable healthcare spending, and create a safer, more stable environment for economic activity.
Prevention and Efficiency: Maximising Economic Returns
Preventive health interventions offer some of the highest returns on investment. Cost-effective measures, such as vaccination campaigns, hypertension control, alcohol and tobacco taxation, and community health outreach, reduce mortality, enhance workforce productivity, and reduce government spending on expensive acute care. Nigeria’s alcohol and sugar taxes generated immediate fiscal revenue while curbing harmful consumption, demonstrating the dual benefits of prevention.
Efficiency in healthcare delivery further amplifies economic gains. Rwanda’s digital supply chain management reduced medicine stockouts and operational costs, while AI-driven predictive analytics in the UK cut hospital admissions by up to 70%, generating significant savings. For Zimbabwe, targeted investment in digital health, primary care, and preventive services could expand access, reduce waste, and increase the ROI of NDS2 health spending.
Multisectoral Action: Health as a Development Driver
Health investments create ripple effects across sectors. Improved water, sanitation, transport, and education contribute to higher labour participation and stronger economic outcomes. Finland’s “Health in All Policies” initiative illustrates how multisectoral alignment enables tangible returns in productivity, school attendance, and fiscal stability.
For Zimbabwe, embedding health in NDS2 allows for coordinated investment in infrastructure, education, and industrial development. For example, healthier children attend school more consistently, producing a better-trained workforce for the future, while healthier adults maintain higher productivity, directly supporting industrialisation targets and export competitiveness.
Projected Economic Impact
Modelling the potential benefits of improved health outcomes combined with reduced substance abuse suggests that Zimbabwe could achieve a 4–6% increase in GDP over the next decade. Reduced absenteeism, enhanced labour participation, and fewer healthcare costs could generate an additional $1–2 billion in annual economic output, depending on the scale of interventions. Implementing a stable national currency, coupled with strong preventive health measures, could further accelerate these gains by reducing illicit trade and improving market efficiency.
Globally, similar approaches have yielded returns of fourfold to sixfold on health investments, as seen in Southeast Asia and parts of Latin America. Regionally, investments in public health in Rwanda, Kenya, and South Africa have demonstrated that even low- and middle-income countries can achieve substantial economic returns when health and development policy are aligned.
Conclusion: Health as a Pillar of NDS2
Health is not a peripheral issue; it is central to economic growth, human capital development, and social stability. By integrating preventive health, early-life interventions, multisectoral coordination, and efforts to curb drug and alcohol abuse into NDS2, Zimbabwe can unlock significant economic and social benefits. A healthy population is a productive population, and productivity underpins industrialisation, export growth, and fiscal resilience. In this context, investments in health represent one of the highest-yield economic strategies Zimbabwe can pursue.
