Zim Targets COMESA Summit to Boost Exports

Zimbabwe will showcase key industries at the 2025 COMESA Summit in Nairobi (image source)

Zimbabwe is mobilizing high-potential industries to showcase at the 18th COMESA Business Forum & Exhibition in Nairobi from 6–9 October, aiming to deepen regional value chains and narrow its US$179 million trade deficit with fellow Eastern and Southern Africa states. ZimTrade, the national trade promotion body, says participation will signal Zimbabwe’s commitment to digital innovation and public-private partnerships in agriculture, manufacturing, ICT and energy.

At a press briefing in Harare, ZimTrade CEO Allan Majuru outlined the strategy: “This forum is our opportunity to engage European and African buyers on blockchain for supply-chain transparency, precision farming and e-commerce platforms that can catapult local firms onto the continental stage.”

“By embracing digitalization, Zimbabwean companies can enhance transparency, meet international standards and boost export competitiveness,”Allan Majuru, ZimTrade CEO

Between 2020 and 2024, Zimbabwe’s exports to COMESA rose by 22 percent, yet intra-regional trade remains under 10 percent of total output, largely due to non-tariff barriers and logistical bottlenecks. Christopher Onyango, COMESA’s trade division director, notes that the Simplified Trade Regime—offering a US$2,000 threshold and streamlined customs declarations—has yet to fully penetrate member states, limiting benefits for small-scale traders.

Manufacturers of agro-processed goods and leather products will join digital tech firms at the COMESA-EU Horticulture Connect event (6–8 October), where they can meet buyers from the Netherlands, Germany and France—markets that absorb 75 percent of EU-COMESA horticultural exports. Financial services providers will also explore post-harvest financing models, while mining and energy outfits seek strategic partnerships for regional power projects.

Founded in 1994, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a 21-member bloc with a combined GDP of US$805 billion. Its free-trade area eliminates tariffs on most goods but struggles with infrastructural gaps and divergent quality standards. In 2023, the Zimbabwe Independent reported that only 9 percent of intra-COMESA trade occurred, despite reforms under the COMESA Simplified Trade Regime aimed at empowering SMEs and informal cross-border operators.

Zimbabwean delegates will also lobby for inclusion in a new COMESA value-chain initiative targeting agro-industrial parks linked by rail corridors. Success could unlock up to US$200 million in investment for centralized processing hubs in Harare and Mutare.

As Nairobi’s summit approaches, ZimTrade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will intensify pre-forum workshops to align exporters with buyer requirements and COMESA certification standards. The stakes are high: turning attendance into tangible deals could accelerate Zimbabwe’s export diversification and reduce dependence on traditional markets, setting a blueprint for regional integration.