Contribution of Indigenous Knowledge Systems to Rural Women’s Financial Inclusion and Sustainable Development in Zimbabwe

Purpose: This paper looked at the relevance of women in rural Zimbabwe upon decolonising development. Most African nations have continued to be aligned to the colonial ways development frameworks. Design/Methodology/Approach: It has been realized that indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) continue to be left unattended to when it comes to development of nations. All this slows the attainment of development in Zimbabwe’s rural areas. Hence this study investigated the extent to which women were actively engaged on traditional financial management termed indigenous knowledge systems. The study adopted qualitative methodology. Data was gathered from forty-five women in Makoni district.  These women were small scale farmers. Participatory observation and interviews were employed to collect data. Findings: Findings showed that women were actively engaged in using indigenous knowledge skills. Unfortunately, they were not well represented on development issues. The relevance of indigenous financial systems was revealed as being able to boost financial inclusion and economic resilience of women in rural areas in Zimbabwe. Such methods enhance the maintenance of the traditional identity of information between generations. Implications/Originality/Value: According to this research, indigenous must be taken a chief aspect for development. As a recommendation there should be prioritization of participatory approaches. Such methods value the expertise of women on national development strategies. This was meant to enhance traditionally important development outcomes which are sustainable.