Comesa will strengthen Zimbabwe’s role in the development of Africa

Trade Focus

Allan Majuru

Zimbabwe’s forthcoming chairmanship of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) presents an opportunity to connect the country’s industrialisation ambitions with the wider task of strengthening Africa’s capacity to produce, trade and create employment.

Hosting the regional bloc’s summit and related events from October 19 to 22 places Zimbabwe at the centre of discussions that have direct implications across the continent. Among the spotlight events for the summit is the 19th COMESA Business Forum and Multi-Sectoral International Exhibition, running in Harare from October 19 to 21, which will bring regional buyers, investors and businesses into direct contact with Zimbabwean enterprises.

The programme, convened by the COMESA Business Council, national trade development and promotion organisation ZimTrade and the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC), together with the COMESA Secretariat and the Government, provides a platform for commercial partnerships and for business priorities to inform regional deliberations.

The national interest is to help build a regional economy in which Zimbabwean production can expand alongside that of its neighbours.

This dovetails with President Mnangagwa’s efforts to position Zimbabwe at the centre of Africa’s development.

The engagement and re-engagement agenda championed by President Mnangagwa provides a platform for the country to contribute through tourism, trade, investment and industrial partnerships that advance both national and continental priorities. But the question is: What does leadership of COMESA mean for Zimbabwean businesses.

Zimbabwe’s industrial and development ambitions require a market large enough to sustain new investment and increased production. COMESA offers that opportunity, connecting the country’s productive strengths with demand across African economies and providing a stronger foundation for export growth, employment and a greater contribution to the continent’s development.

COMESA and local industrialisation

COMESA offers a platform for developing these production and trading relationships in Africa. Its 21 member states have a population of more than 640 million and a combined gross domestic product of approximately US$1 trillion.

This provides considerable economic scale for Zimbabwe’s industrial and export ambitions.

The region connects Zimbabwe with neighbouring markets, East African economies, North African industrial centres and Indian Ocean destinations.

These economies have different consumer needs and productive capabilities, creating opportunities for local firms to diversify their customers and participate in a wider range of industries.

COMESA’s published figures put the region’s imports from the world at US$277 billion in 2024, while exports among member states were approximately US$14 billion.

Total exports to the world stood at US$202 billion, meaning intra-COMESA exports accounted for roughly 7 percent of the bloc’s goods exports.

These figures point to considerable room for stronger regional production and supply relationships. The opportunity lies in identifying goods that Zimbabwean businesses can manufacture competitively and securing the customers required to sustain production.

For Zimbabwe, this brings regional integration directly into the national industrialisation agenda. Figures show that value-added exports increased from US$437 million in 2024 to US$571 million in 2025.

COMESA can provide a broader market to sustain this progress and encourage investment in additional processing and manufacturing capacity.

Access to several regional economies can improve the viability of investments that would be difficult to sustain through domestic demand alone.

Larger production volumes can spread costs and support specialisation.

A broader customer base can also reduce exposure to disruptions in individual export markets, strengthening the resilience of local enterprises. Regional orders create business for packaging manufacturers, transport operators, laboratories and professional services.

Expanding exports, therefore, has the potential to deepen domestic production networks, support employment and increase the value Zimbabwe retains from its productive activities.

Building regional value chains

Zimbabwe’s productive strengths provide several starting points.

Agriculture can support exports of processed foods, fruit concentrates, oils and other products with greater domestic value addition. Cotton can feed clothing and textile production, while livestock creates opportunities in leather processing and finished goods. Growing iron and steel capacity can support supplies for regional construction and manufacturing.

Mining activity across COMESA creates demand for engineering products, equipment maintenance, protective clothing and technical services that Zimbabwean companies can provide.

The strategic opportunity is to become a dependable participant in regional production. A Zimbabwean supplier of packaging material can support a food processor in another member state, while local engineering expertise can help regional agricultural and mining operations improve productivity.

Such cooperation strengthens the customer’s productive capacity and creates repeat business for the Zimbabwean supplier. Regional development can, therefore, expand the demand on which our own industrial growth depends.

Regional integration also provides access to inputs, equipment and expertise from partner economies. Competitive sourcing can lower production costs in Zimbabwe, allowing firms to supply both African and global customers more effectively.

Services extend these opportunities further.

Zimbabwe’s expertise in education, engineering, information technology and professional services can support regional enterprises, bringing skilled people into the export economy, alongside producers of goods.

This approach also makes development more inclusive.

Producers in Manicaland, Masvingo and Matabeleland can contribute through horticulture, agro-processing, timber and leather value chains. Export clusters can help smaller enterprises aggregate production and meet common quality requirements.

**Making integration **

work for business

Zimbabwe’s chairmanship provides an opportunity to strengthen the practical arrangements that allow businesses of all sizes to participate in regional trade.

COMESA’s Free Trade Area offers duty-free access for qualifying goods between participating countries, subject to rules of origin and destination requirements.

These preferences provide a foundation for Zimbabwean enterprises to expand their regional reach.

A particular strength of COMESA is its recognition of the needs of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), reflected in its Simplified Trade Regime.

The arrangement gives small-scale cross-border traders a more accessible route to the benefits of regional integration, with consideration for women and young people. At participating borders, eligible consignments of goods on agreed common lists can be cleared using simplified customs documents and certificates of origin within the applicable value limits.

Qualifying goods benefit from customs duty relief, while relevant product standards and permit requirements continue to apply.

Simpler paperwork, reduced clearance costs and faster border procedures can make a meaningful difference to the viability of small consignments.

For enterprises operating with limited working capital, these benefits can leave more resources available for purchasing stock and sustaining production.

For Zimbabwe, this offers smaller producers and traders an opportunity to test neighbouring markets, establish customer relationships and expand gradually.

Their participation can also create demand for goods supplied by local farmers and manufacturers, extending the benefits of regional trade across communities.

This illustrates how integration can work for businesses of all sizes.

Regional agreements become more valuable when their implementation responds to the different capacities of the enterprises expected to use them.

Greater awareness of the regime, practical trader training and consistent application at borders should, therefore, form part of Zimbabwe’s export development efforts.

These measures must be accompanied by action on expensive logistics, border delays and access to trade finance.

Closer customs coordination, wider use of electronic documentation and cooperation on standards would strengthen conditions for both small traders and larger exporters. Reliable energy and transport infrastructure remain equally important.

Predictable production and delivery give regional buyers confidence to establish lasting commercial relationships with Zimbabwean suppliers.

Allan Majuru is the chief executive officer of ZimTrade.

Source: Comesa will strengthen Zimbabwe’s role in the development of Africa – herald

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