Impact Factor (JCC): 2.9987 www.bestjournals.in THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF ZIMBABWE: A CASE STUDY OF ZIM ASSET GERALD MUNYORO, DUMEZWENI NCZOMANI & BLESSING MHERE-CHIGUNHAH Graduate Business School, School of Entrepreneurship and Business Sciences, Chinhoyi University Technology, Zimbabwe ABSTRACT This study was conducted to establish the significance of special economic zones (SEZs) to the economic development of Zimbabwe. This also included establishing the existence of SEZs in Zimbabwe; evaluating their contribution to the economic development of Zimbabwe and making recommendations to policy makers. In addition, the study also attempted to identify the relationship between special economic zones with some of the determinants of economic development, such as employment creation, foreign direct investment, technology transfer and infrastructure development. The study utilized phenomenology, philosophy and a case study research design which made use of questionnaires and focus groups and the data was analyzed using qualitative data analysis (QDA). In addition, the study utilized a sample of 400 respondents. The results of the study show that there are no special economic zones in Zimbabwe due to lack of relationship between special economic zones and determinants of economic development. The study therefore concluded that although the special economic zones are significant to the economic development of Zimbabwe but they do not exist in the country and are outdated. Thus, it was recommended that policy makers should be consistent in policy pronouncements and should use the bottom-up approach rather than top-down approach in order to formulate and implement successful economic policies. Additionally, there is a need for the government to adopt a coordinated approach as a way of keeping other stakeholders informed. Furthermore, there is a need for the new economic policies to involve other stakeholders in the successful implementation of these critical policies such as industrial clusters-which are more effective than special economic zones. KEYWORDS: Special Economic Zones, Economic Development, Zima Set Economic Blueprint, Policies, Local Government INTRODUCTION The development of Zimbabwean policies, like all other international policies has been advanced premised on the agendas of those in power as noted by Adesina (2007). Furthermore, Munyoro et al (2016) proffered that an understanding of the nexus between the agendas of the ruling elite and public policy formulation is important as it defines the context in which current policies are formulated, implemented and promoted. Therefore, the observations offered above to assist in understanding the context in which major economic policies in Zimbabwe have been formulated, implemented and promoted over the years. As Shier (2003) and Mhone (2008) noted, Zimbabwe inherited an economy rooted on colonial legacy, largely based on a philosophy of white supremacy that resulted in a dual and enclave economy. As such, the major objective of the new government was to address the economic inequalities of the colonial regime by implementing nationalistic agendas of nation building and economic growth as noted by Adesina (2007) and Zhou (2012). Hence, BEST: International Journal of Management, Information Technology and Engineering (BEST: IJMITE) ISSN (P): 2348-0513, ISSN (E): 2454-4728 Vol. 5, Issue 05, May 2017, 1-18 © BEST Journals