Zimbabwe's mining sector is critical to the country's economy. Reserves of gold, platinum group metals and diamonds combine to form Zimbabwe's largest export — and thus its primary source of foreign currency. The sector has become even more important recently due to Zimbabwe's systemically failing economy . The country is struggling to maintain sufficient foreign currency reserves, while also desperately requiring investment and expansion to compete. Stringent regulations have discouraged many potential investors from pursuing opportunities in Zimbabwe's mining industry in the past. But President Emmerson Mnangagwa has begun making decisions to spur foreign direct investment in the mining industry, likely spelling a long-term shift to more pro-business policies within the Zimbabwean government.