Building the bridge before you cross it

"You have it better there, why do you want to come back?"

"But we cannot afford you."

"We are of the view that once you guys leave you do not want to come back, so we do not consider you at all."

"Your experience may not be as applicable in Zimbabwe as you are coming from more stable and advanced systems."

"You will not provide your family with the same which they are accustomed to out there."

These are comments I have received from hiring teams in Zimbabwe after expressing interest in job openings. At one point, a former Head of HR called me and said: "Why do you keep applying? We know you are not really interested in coming back."

But how about we rephrase the question and do away with the preconceptions? How about: Why do you want to come back? Why do you want this role?

Since leaving for the diaspora in 2010, one thing has been very clear in my mind. I will return home one day. All the work I am doing, all the experience I am gaining — it is to be fit for the day I return to the motherland. As the years have gone by, that call from home has intensified. But with the statements and questions above coming my way, what are my chances?

Laying the Foundation

There is a Shona saying: "Natsa kwaunobva, kwaunoenda husiko" — do not burn bridges when you leave, because you do not know what awaits you where you are headed. This was the premise of my approach from the very first day I left Zimbabwe for Qatar in 2010.

I remained very connected with the bank in Zimbabwe, keeping in touch with colleagues and senior managers. I even went a step further, arranging an agreement with the local HR team where I would provide career guidance and advice to new joiners in the Graduate Trainee programmes.

Beyond that, I remained connected with the business — sharing notes, learnings, trends, and insights which I saw as relevant to Zimbabwe. I recall sitting with the head of business for an hour sharing notes on a regulatory audit which the country was preparing for. I had been part of a similar review in a different capacity earlier. The insights were well received, and they helped the business better prepare for the audit.

I recall another time being on a global in-focus call which was spotlighting Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, the call was held during a public holiday in Zimbabwe, so no one from the country dialled in. As the discussion went on, I had to speak up and publicly disagree with the assessment being given. The risks being identified were not resonating with my beloved Zimbabwe — all because I had remained firmly in touch with the country.

Acknowledging Zimbabwe's economic volatility and complexity, I also signed up and became a member of the Zimbabwe Economics Society, a grouping of like-minded economists who work to debunk the complexities. This has allowed me to always have a finger on the pulse of the happenings in Zimbabwe.

Building — The Invisible Balancing Act

Beyond remaining rooted and connected to the motherland — where the rukuvhute (umbilical cord) lies — there was also a need to grow, to contribute, to remain relevant. But in the same vein, a responsibility to follow the policies and responsibilities of my current employer. This creates a delicate balance: being visible, yet in compliance.

For me, the work started informally and invisibly. A phone call from someone seeking my views on a business idea. A post on LinkedIn breaking down the latest monetary policy. Lengthy debates with the boys over a weekend. The work was there, but it was not formalised. It was not yet a platform.

Then came the daring step — the commencement of a journey to set up a formalised platform for Zimbabweans in the UAE to interact, network, and build that base and connection with home. This culminated in the registration of the Zimbabwe Business Council. I became its Founding Chairman at a time when I did not have a registered company in my name. I was just a Zimbabwean with a dream. Afrigate was born later out of this step.

Now with a platform to build, I have taken deliberate steps to remain relevant to Zimbabwe and to contribute in a more formalised way. I have spoken at key events such as the Diaspora Engagement Forums and the Family Business Summit. I have contributed to key national strategy projects such as the Halal Certification project for Zimbabwean slaughterhouses. I have helped to arrange visits for key delegations to Zimbabwe — Dubai Chambers coming to Harare, Zimbabwean delegates coming to the Middle East.

The invisible work is no longer invisible. But it is still the same work: building the bridge before I cross it.

Home Remains the Ultimate Destination

All this effort recognises one fact: home is ultimate.

Unlike other diaspora markets where one gets a passport after a certain number of years, our region is different. A day will come when the visa expires, when the contract ends, when the choice becomes binary: another diaspora location to start again, or home.

For me, the choice has always been home.

Everything I have built — the Council, Afrigate, the networks, the invisible work — is the bridge I am building before I cross it. The question is no longer whether I will return. The question is whether Zimbabwe is ready when I do.

Because I am coming home. And when I do, I will not be starting from scratch. I will be bringing seventeen years of banking experience, a network that spans two regions, and a platform that has already facilitated millions in trade and capital flow between Africa and the Gulf.

The foundations are laid. The bridge is being built. And when the time comes, I will cross it — not as someone returning cap in hand, but as someone who never left.

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Rungano Innocent Nyaude is the Managing Director of Afrigate Commercial Brokers, a trade facilitation and advisory firm connecting African businesses to the UAE market.