Mnangagwa assumes COMESA Chairmanship with familiar pledges

**HARARE-(MaraviPost)-**Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday assumed the rotational chairmanship of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), delivering a speech heavy on pan-African idealism and light on measurable commitments.

Addressing the 25th Summit of COMESA Heads of State and Government at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden, Mnangagwa said he accepted the role “with deep humility” under the theme “One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration.”

The speech followed a well-worn script for such summits: gratitude to outgoing chair William Ruto of Kenya for his “immense purpose” and focus on digitization, congratulations to incoming vice-chair Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, and a call for unity to deliver prosperity.

Mnangagwa’s policy offer was a list of longstanding COMESA talking points: addressing “transportation bottlenecks,” supporting youth, women and SMEs, expanding digital trade systems, fast-tracking “value addition and beneficiation,” and championing agro-processing parks to guarantee regional food security.

“Our roads and rail systems require long-term financing. We must think outside the box on financing models, working hand-in-hand with our development partners,” he said.

However, while calling for regional infrastructure financing, Zimbabwe itself remains one of COMESA’s most constrained economies, with chronic underinvestment in its own rail system, a debt overhang that limits access to long-term capital, and persistent delays at Beitbridge — the busiest border post in the COMESA-SADC corridor that his government has struggled to modernize.

The theme of industrialisation also sits uneasily with data. Despite being established in 1994, COMESA’s intra-regional trade still hovers below 10% of its total trade, far behind the rhetoric of “One Market, One Future.” Member states continue to export largely unprocessed raw materials while importing finished goods, the exact problem Mnangagwa said he wants to champion against.

His statement that “integration is only a success when it benefits the ordinary citizen” and that “Zimbabwe remains a friend to all and an enemy to none” is politically useful at home. The chairmanship gives Mnangagwa a rare regional leadership platform at a time when Zimbabwe is seeking to reframe its international image and attract investment, and allows him to appear side-by-side with leaders like Hichilema — with whom relations have been strained since Zambia’s 2021 election.

“Together, Zimbabwe and Zambia stand ready to lead our regional bloc toward unprecedented economic growth,” Mnangagwa said of Hichilema, a line that will be read closely in Lusaka given the two countries’ recent diplomatic friction over election observer reports.

What the speech did not contain was any concrete deliverable for Zimbabwe’s tenure: no target for intra-COMESA trade growth, no timeline for a digital trade protocol, no financing facility for SMEs, and no commitment on clearing arrears to regional trade finance institutions.

For now, the chairmanship remains largely ceremonial — a one-year rotational role with agenda-setting power but little enforcement power. Whether Mnangagwa can translate the familiar language of value addition and connectivity into actual policy shifts will determine whether this summit is remembered as more than PR.

Below is his acceptance speech:

I accept the chairmanship of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) with deep humility, as we convene for the 25th Summit of COMESA Heads of State and Government at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden. We gather under the powerful and progressive theme: “One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration in COMESA.”

On behalf of our nation, I extend my profound gratitude to the outgoing Chairperson, President William Ruto of Kenya, for steering COMESA with immense purpose, clarity, and a steadfast focus on digitization and robust value chains. I also commend the COMESA Secretariat for their sterling work.

My warmest congratulations go to my brother, His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, on his appointment as the new Vice Chairperson of COMESA. Together, Zimbabwe and Zambia stand ready to lead our regional bloc toward unprecedented economic growth.

The theme of our summit brings to the fore the urgent need for the interconnectivity of our markets to accelerate modernization and industrialization. To reach new customers and achieve collective progress, we must expand our horizons. The tangible growth of intra-COMESA projects demonstrates the undeniable value of our cooperation, and it is through this unity that we will uplift more of our people.

COMESA remains a vital platform to promote trade, and the ultimate success of this conference rests upon our collective shoulders. To unlock our full potential, we must decisively address transportation bottlenecks. Furthermore, the financial challenges faced by our youth, women, and SMEs require new strategies and bold decisions. By driving the wider use of digital trade systems, we can bridge these gaps.

During our tenure, we aim to work closely with all member states to fast-track value addition and beneficiation. The lessons from our policy decisions are clear: we must see the true value of our natural resources. Zimbabwe will champion the development of agro-processing industrial parks and the climate-proofing of our agriculture to guarantee regional food security.

To support this industrial drive, our roads and rail systems require long-term financing. We must think outside the box on financing models, working hand-in-hand with our development partners. Integration is only a success when it benefits the ordinary citizen.
The challenge has been set upon us. We must align our skills training and education systems to produce goods and services that directly impact and improve the lives of our people. Our private sector is highly commended for actively involving itself in these debates; their partnership is crucial.

As we chart our own destination, we remind the world that Zimbabwe remains a friend to all and an enemy to none, exercising our amenable rights to self-determination.

With unity of purpose, let us deliver a better, more prosperous future for the people of Africa.

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