• Zimbabwe is set to assume COMESA chairmanship from Kenya at today’s summit
• Intra-COMESA exports reached US$14 billion in 2024, below 7% of total exports
• Leaders will consider a five-year strategy covering trade, infrastructure, investment and industrialisation

Harare – Zimbabwe is hosting the 25th Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Heads of State and Government Summit today, 22 October 2026, at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa expected to assume chairmanship of the 21-member economic bloc from Kenya’s President William Ruto.

The leadership transition comes as regional governments confront persistent trade barriers, limited industrial integration and mounting pressure to convert preferential market access into productive investment and higher intra-African trade.

The summit, held under the theme One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration in COMESA, marks the culmination of four days of high-level engagements in Harare. These included the COMESA Green Industry Connect on 19 October, the 19th COMESA Business Forum on 20 October and a meeting of foreign affairs ministers on 21 October. The leaders are expected to consider recommendations from these meetings alongside proposals for strengthening regional economic cooperation.

Zimbabwe’s assumption of the chairmanship comes with responsibility for guiding the bloc’s regional integration agenda during the next leadership cycle. The anticipated leadership structure will comprise Zimbabwe as chairperson, Eswatini as vice-chairperson and Kenya as rapporteur. The chairmanship provides Zimbabwe with a platform to influence regional priorities, coordinate political commitments and advocate reforms affecting trade and investment across member states.

Established in December 1994 to replace the Preferential Trade Area created in 1981, COMESA has developed into one of Africa’s largest regional economic communities. The bloc now covers approximately 680 million people and, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, represents a combined economy valued at about US$1.23 trillion. Its members span Eastern and Southern Africa, linking mineral-producing countries, agricultural economies, manufacturing centres and important regional transport corridors.

The scale of the regional economy has yet to translate into proportionate trade between member states. COMESA figures show that intra-regional merchandise exports reached approximately US$14 billion in 2024, against total exports to the world of US$202 billion. Internal trade consequently represented about 6.9% of the bloc’s merchandise exports, demonstrating the continued importance of external markets in the region’s trading structure.

COMESA established its Free Trade Area in October 2000, with Zimbabwe among the original participating countries. By April 2026, participation had expanded to 16 member states, while other members maintained different levels of tariff liberalisation. The arrangement has reduced import duties on qualifying regional goods, although businesses continue to face varying customs requirements, rules of origin, administrative charges and regulatory procedures.

These constraints carry direct commercial consequences. Higher clearance costs increase the landed price of goods, weaken exporters’ competitiveness and raise working capital requirements. Delays in moving intermediate inputs across borders also discourage manufacturers from distributing production across several countries. Regional integration therefore depends on the efficiency of the production and logistics systems connecting national economies.

Zimbabwe enters the leadership cycle with substantial scope to expand its regional commercial presence. ZimTrade figures previously reported by Equity Axis show that the country’s exports to COMESA reached US$222 million in 2025, increasing by 10.4% from US$201 million in 2024. The expansion demonstrates growing market participation, although the absolute value remains modest relative to the bloc’s economic scale.

The forthcoming leadership period coincides with the implementation of COMESA’s Medium-Term Strategic Plan for 2026 to 2030, which leaders are expected to formally launch during the summit. The plan was adopted by the Council of Ministers in April and is organised around five priorities covering regional market consolidation, infrastructure and connectivity, productive integration, gender and youth participation, and institutional effectiveness.

The productive integration agenda is particularly relevant to Zimbabwe’s industrialisation strategy. Regional value chains can allow companies to source inputs, undertake processing and distribute finished products across several countries. Zimbabwe’s mining, agricultural and manufacturing sectors could benefit from deeper commercial relationships with regional producers, financiers and buyers, especially where domestic firms lack the scale to independently finance every stage of production.

A practical development emerged on 19 October when ZimTrade signed a memorandum of understanding with the Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute. The partnership covers technical skills, product development, enterprise modernisation, environmental compliance and market access. Its economic contribution will depend on manufacturers converting the cooperation into improved production capabilities, finished goods and export orders.

Industrial integration also requires investment in electricity, transport infrastructure, processing technology and trade finance. These costs can constrain the competitiveness of regional manufacturers even where tariff preferences exist. The COMESA Business Forum, which attracted more than 400 exhibitors, consequently placed financing, industrial competitiveness and regional production partnerships among its priorities. Its private-sector recommendations are scheduled to be presented to the Heads of State.

The COMESA Business Council has also begun developing a regional business visa scheme to improve the movement of entrepreneurs and commercial professionals. Easier business mobility could support cross-border investment, technical services and the establishment of regional distribution networks. Its value will depend on adoption by member states and the administrative arrangements governing access.

The regional economic agenda is unfolding alongside growing security and climate risks. COMESA foreign affairs ministers met in Harare on Wednesday to consider instability in several member states, including the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Insecurity disrupts transport corridors, investment decisions and the movement of goods, affecting countries beyond the immediate conflict areas.

The previous day’s extraordinary SADC Summit separately called for stronger regional disaster preparedness ahead of the 2026/27 El Niño and cyclone season. Zimbabwe belongs to both organisations, creating opportunities for coordinated agricultural trade, food supply logistics and infrastructure planning. Greater regional cooperation could help economies manage temporary production deficits by improving the movement of food and agricultural inputs between surplus and deficit markets.

COMESA’s wider trade architecture is also evolving through the Tripartite Free Trade Area connecting COMESA, the East African Community and SADC, which entered into force in July 2024. The agreement establishes an additional framework for expanding trade across the three regional communities. Its implementation requires continued work on trade procedures, market access commitments and the removal of administrative restrictions.

Zimbabwe’s chairmanship consequently begins with an established policy framework and identifiable implementation challenges. Progress during the leadership period can be assessed through intra-regional trade growth, reductions in border clearance times, implementation of the five-year strategic plan, removal of non-tariff barriers and new industrial investments linked to regional supply chains.

For Zimbabwean businesses, the relevant outcomes will include sustained export growth, new processing partnerships, access to regional buyers and improvements in the cost of moving goods across borders. The 25th COMESA Summit provides the political platform for these priorities, while the commercial results will depend on the decisions implemented by governments, regional institutions and businesses after the leaders conclude their deliberations.

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