Online Reporter
John Mazani
Beyond the sleek motorcades, polished diplomatic speeches and high-level handshakes of the upcoming 25th Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit lies a far more practical reality: executive diplomacy only builds the stage, but Parliament writes the play.
As Zimbabwe prepares to assume the chairmanship of the 21-member regional economic bloc, public conversation has naturally focused on national pride, diplomatic prestige and big-picture vision.
Yet, inside the corridors of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, the conversation must shift from celebration to work.
For the country to translate the summit’s high-level commitments into tangible economic relief, improved livelihoods and expanded trade, lawmakers must take centre stage.
Executive agreements mean little if they remain locked in cabinet folders or buried in summit declarations. The responsibility now rests on Parliament to convert diplomatic promises into binding statutes, allocate national budgets effectively and hold State institutions accountable for delivering results.
The Executive opens the door, Parliament steps through
When a country hosts a major regional gathering like the COMESA Summit, the executive branch performs the critical task of negotiating treaties, building diplomatic consensus and securing international goodwill.
These efforts directly support and set the stage for Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), anchoring the nation’s journey toward an upper-middle income economy by 2030.
However, treaties signed by Heads of State do not automatically become domestic law. Under the Constitution of Zimbabwe, international agreements require parliamentary approval for ratification to carry legal weight within the country.
This distinction is where legislative accountability begins.
If Zimbabwe’s businesses are to sell goods seamlessly from Harare to Lusaka, Nairobi or Cairo, Parliament must ensure that domestic laws match regional commitments.
A treaty that promises friction-free trade remains an illusion if a local exporter still faces contradictory customs regulations, delayed border clearances or conflicting product standards at the frontier.
By proactively bringing national laws into harmony with COMESA protocols, lawmakers ensure that executive diplomacy translates into real-world business opportunities.
The parliamentary mandate: Harmonising laws for regional trade
Executive diplomacy creates opportunity, but legislative action locks it in. For Zimbabwe to reap the full benefits of the COMESA chairmanship, the Parliament of Zimbabwe faces a crucial agenda: fast-tracking the harmonisation of domestic trade, tax and customs laws with regional standards.
Parliamentarians play a pivotal role in ratifying COMESA trade protocols, updating digital customs laws and ensuring domestic manufacturing standards align with regional protocols. Without synchronised legislation, local businesses will struggle to clear administrative hurdles when exporting across the bloc.
Consider the practical realities of modern regional commerce. A small manufacturing firm in Bulawayo or Mutare attempting to export processed goods to a neighbour faces a web of regulatory requirements: rules of origin certificates, sanitary and phytosanitary certificates, dynamic customs tariffs and digital clearance requirements.
When national laws conflict with regional treaties, the exporter bears the cost in long delays, administrative fines or spoiled cargo.
Lawmakers hold the power to fix these bottlenecks. Fast-tracking legislation that modernises digital trade platforms, recognises regional standard certifications and eliminates redundant administrative layers reduces the cost of doing business. Synchronisation is not merely a legal technicality; it is a direct driver of national competitiveness and ease of doing business.
Budgetary oversight: Measuring the return on investment
Hosting a major international event demands a significant commitment of public resources. Venue preparation, security logistics, delegate accommodation and protocol operations require real financial outlay from the national treasury. Citizens naturally ask a straightforward question: What is the return on this investment?
This is where Parliament’s power of the purse becomes paramount. Members of Parliament are the custodians of public funds. Their duty is not only to approve national budget allocations, but also to track every dollar spent and measure its ultimate impact on the nation.
Legislative oversight must focus on three core budgetary areas regarding the summit and its aftermath:
To justify the public funds spent hosting major international events, lawmakers must demonstrate that such expenditures serve as strategic investments in national development rather than fleeting administrative costs. Achieving this requires rigorous, structured financial oversight across three key areas.
First, parliamentary oversight must guarantee transparent resource allocation throughout the event’s planning stages. Public procurement for summit logistics, ranging from security and venue operations to delegate transportation and hospitality, should operate through open, competitive channels. This transparency ensures that local service providers, small enterprises, hoteliers and transport operators have an equal opportunity to participate, keeping host funds circulating directly within the domestic economy.
Second, oversight committees must advocate for directing capital toward durable trade infrastructure. While temporary event logistics require funding, public capital yields far greater long-term dividends when aligned with regional trade goals. Lawmakers must push to allocate resources toward high-impact projects, such as upgrading digital border management systems, improving feeder roads along major transport corridors and modernising testing laboratories to certify export goods for regional markets.
Finally, legislative monitoring must extend beyond the summit’s conclusion by tracking post-summit deliverables. Lawmakers are responsible for evaluating the implementation of treaties, investment pledges and bilateral trade agreements signed during the event.
By systematically measuring changes in export volumes, foreign direct investment inflows and local job creation against the original expenditures, Parliament ensures that hosting international gatherings generates measurable economic returns for taxpayers.
Bridging the gap: Bringing regional integration to the constituency
For many ordinary citizens, “regional integration” sounds like an abstract concept discussed in air-conditioned conference halls by diplomats in suits. It can feel disconnected from the daily struggles of a farmer in Chipinge, a small shopkeeper in Gweru or an informal trader at a border crossing.
Lawmakers serve as the essential link between macro-level regional policy and micro-level constituency reality. They are uniquely positioned to translate complex trade agreements into everyday benefits for the people they represent.
For MPs representing border constituencies like Beitbridge, Chirundu or Forbes, regional integration is a daily constituency issue. Cross-border traders face arbitrary border fees and delays. By oversight of the COMESA Simplified Trade Regime (STR), Parliament can ensure small-scale traders pay reduced tariffs and clear customs using simplified documentation—directly improving livelihoods in local wards.
The COMESA Simplified Trade Regime (STR) is designed specifically for small-scale cross-border traders who regularly transport small consignments of goods across borders. Under the STR, qualified traders carrying approved goods bypass complex, expensive clearance processes, paying reduced or zero customs duties while using straightforward documentation.
When MPs actively monitor how border authorities implement the STR, they protect their constituents from harassment, eliminate unofficial fees and shorten long border queues. A smooth border crossing directly reduces the cost of basic commodities, boosts informal market incomes, and puts money back into the pockets of rural and urban families alike.
Inland constituencies benefit just as directly. Farmers gain access to cheaper fertilisers and broader export markets for crops like horticulture, tea and tobacco. Local manufacturers gain access to raw materials without prohibitive import duties. By educating constituents on these regional tools and advocating for local business access, MPs turn regional diplomacy into local economic development.
John Mazani is a committee clerk at the Parliament of Zimbabwe writing in his personal capacity on legislative processes and oversight.
