Zimbabwe's value-added exports rose from US$437 million in 2024 to US$571 million in 2025. Now the country wants a bigger market to keep that growth going. Harare hosts the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) summit and related events from October 19 to 22, as Zimbabwe prepares to take up the bloc's chairmanship.
Allan Majuru, chief executive officer of ZimTrade, says the chairmanship can link Zimbabwe's industrialisation ambitions with Africa's capacity to produce, trade and create employment. The scale is clear: COMESA's 21 member states have more than 640 million people and a combined gross domestic product of roughly US$1 trillion.
The Market Case
Zimbabwe needs customers for its industrial goals. Domestic demand alone can't always justify new investment, Majuru argues, while access to several regional economies can make those investments viable. Larger production volumes spread costs and support specialisation. A broader customer base also limits exposure when one export market runs into trouble.
The figures point to room for growth. COMESA data put the region's imports from the world at US$277 billion in 2024, while exports among member states came to about US$14 billion. Total exports to the world reached US$202 billion. Intra-COMESA exports accounted for roughly 7 percent of the bloc's goods exports.
Majuru sees that gap as a sign of scope for regional production and supply relationships. The test is simple: find goods Zimbabwean businesses can make competitively, then secure customers who'll keep factories running.
Where Private Enterprise Could Lead
The article points to several commercial openings. Agriculture could support exports of processed foods, fruit concentrates and oils. Cotton could supply clothing and textiles. Livestock could underpin leather processing and finished goods. Growing iron and steel capacity could serve regional construction and manufacturing. Mining across COMESA creates demand for engineering products, equipment maintenance, protective clothing and technical services.
One example stands out. A Zimbabwean packaging supplier could serve a food processor in another member state. That creates repeat business, with benefits extending to transport operators, laboratories and professional services. Producers in Manicaland, Masvingo and Matabeleland could contribute through horticulture, agro-processing, timber and leather value chains, while export clusters help smaller enterprises pool output and meet shared quality requirements.
Firms can also lower production costs by sourcing inputs, equipment and expertise competitively from partner economies, the article says, helping them serve African and global customers.
The Business Forum
The 19th COMESA Business Forum and Multi-Sectoral International Exhibition runs in Harare from October 19 to 21. The COMESA Business Council, ZimTrade, the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC), the COMESA Secretariat and the Government are convening it. Regional buyers, investors and businesses will meet Zimbabwean enterprises, and the programme aims to support commercial partnerships and bring business priorities into regional deliberations.
The article links the effort to President Mnangagwa's engagement and re-engagement agenda, which it says gives the country a platform to contribute through tourism, trade, investment and industrial partnerships.
Red Tape and Border Costs
Opportunity isn't delivery. Majuru is blunt: costly logistics, border delays and limited access to trade finance need action. COMESA's Free Trade Area offers duty-free access for qualifying goods, subject to rules of origin and destination requirements. Product standards and permit requirements still apply.
The Simplified Trade Regime targets micro, small and medium enterprises, with consideration for women and young people. Eligible consignments on agreed common lists can clear using simplified customs documents and certificates of origin within applicable value limits. Simpler paperwork, lower clearance costs and faster procedures leave cash-strapped traders with more money to buy stock and keep producing.
Majuru says the regime needs greater awareness, practical trader training and consistent border implementation. Closer customs coordination, wider electronic documentation and cooperation on standards would help. Reliable energy and transport infrastructure matter too, he says, for predictable production and delivery.
Why This Matters:
Zimbabwe's pitch rests on trade and private production rather than aid or state direction, and the figures suggest there's room to grow. Intra-COMESA exports make up only about 7 percent of the bloc's goods exports, leaving a lot of regional commerce untapped. The hard part isn't the market on paper. It's the border delays, logistics costs, thin trade finance and uneven rule enforcement that Majuru himself flags. Whether the chairmanship produces results depends on clearing those frictions so firms, not officials, can build lasting customer relationships. That's a perspective on the facts, not a certainty, but it's where the evidence points.