Zimbabwe Aims for Full Radio, TV Coverage by 2030

Why this is here: Zimbabwe collected US$13.6 million from radio licensing fees in the first half of 2025 to expand broadcasting infrastructure and signal reach.

Zimbabwe’s Information Minister, Dr. Zhemu Soda, announced the country intends to achieve one hundred percent radio and television coverage by 2030 while speaking in Beijing, China. He connected access to information with national development and harmony, framing the initiative as part of the National Development Strategy 2.

The government plans to fund these upgrades by directing revenue from radio license fees toward broadcast sector development. Roughly 81 percent of the country currently receives radio signals, with a target of 86 percent by year’s end. They also aim to establish eighteen community radio stations this year, adding to seventeen already approved.

Approximately US$13.6 million collected from radio licensing fees in the first half of 2025 will support infrastructure improvements through Transmedia, Zim Digital Phase 2, BAZ community stations, and content hubs at the Zimbabwe Film and Television School. The initial Zim Digital program, intended to run from 2015 to 2018, stalled due to a lack of the required US$25 million in funding.