Online Reporter
Sikhulekelani Moyo [email protected]
ZIMBABWE’S trade surplus widened by 64,5 percent to US$526,5 million in August 2026, from US$320 million, driven by a surge in exports while imports remained almost flat, the latest figures from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) show.
This follows a 14,2 percent rise in exports to US$1,68 billion from US$1,47 billion the previous month. Cumulative imports rose 0,2 percent to US$1 152,4 million in August, up from US$1 149,8 million the prior month.
ZimStat said among the top 10 products exported in August, semi-manufactured gold accounted for 44 percent of total export value, followed by other mineral substances at 19,5 percent and other ores and concentrates at 12 percent.
Other key exports were nickel mattes (8 percent), tobacco (3,5 percent), other sulphates (2,9 percent), ferro-chromium (1,7 percent), iron and steel products (1,4 percent), coke and semi-coke of coal (1,1 percent) and unsorted diamonds (0,6 percent).
The country’s major export destinations in August were the United Arab Emirates (US$749,6 million), China (US$540,3 million) and South Africa (US$218,3 million.
The three countries accounted for about 90 percent of total export value.
In the SADC, major exports were nickel mattes (48,2 percent), iron/steel products (9,5 percent), coke and semi-coke of coal (6,6 percent) and other ores (5,4 percent) and the total SADC export value was US$278,4 million.
In COMESA, exports included partly or wholly stemmed/stripped tobacco (21,4 percent), iron/steel products (14,6 percent), coke and semi-coke (14,4 percent) and cigarette tobacco (6,8 percent) and the total value was US$25,9 million.
Zimbabwe’s shipments to the EU were made up of tobacco (66,3 percent), chromium ores (17,2 percent), ferro-chromium (11,3 percent) and granite (1,4 percent), representing 96 percent of exports to the European trading bloc valued at US$19,1 million.
Within the African Continental Free Trade Area, Zimbabwe traded nickel mattes (46,8 percent), iron/steel (9,2 percent), nickel ores (8,4 percent) and tobacco (6,6 percent).
Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products (22,2 percent), machinery and mechanical appliances (15,5 percent), vehicles (6,8 percent) and electrical machinery (4,9 percent) were among Zimbabwe’s top imports.
Major import source countries were South Africa (US$411,8 million), China (US$206,1 million), Bahrain (US$78,2 million) and Mozambique (US$54,9 million), representing 65 percent of total imports.
From SADC, Zimbabwe mainly imported machinery (14,6 percent), mineral fuels (9,7 percent), fertilisers (8,0 percent) and iron and steel articles (5,9 percent) — valued at a cumulative US$568,2 million.
AfCFTA imports comprised machinery (14,2 percent), mineral fuels (9,5 percent), fertilisers (7,8 percent) and iron and steel (5,7 percent), accounting for 37 percent of US$585,7 million imports from the continental bloc.
Zimbabwe imported goods valued at US$37,9 million from the EU, mainly miscellaneous chemical products (19,3 percent), machinery (18,5 percent) and pharmaceutical products (10,9 percent).
The country’s imports from COMESA totalled US$103,7 million, dominated by salt, sulphur, cement materials (12,9 percent), fertilisers (12,6 percent) and cereals (9,1 percent).
