Sidumisile Mabena
Sikhulekelani Moyo, [email protected]
BUY Zimbabwe has said that while progress has been made in narrowing the trade deficit, lasting trade resilience will only be achieved through structural transformation, with key priorities including reducing energy import dependence, strengthening local food production and increasing export of value-added products.
In its 2025 Import and Export Trade Analysis Report, Buy Zimbabwe said Zimbabwe significantly narrowed its trade deficit in 2025, reducing it to US$404 million, down from an annual average of over US$1,6 billion between 2021 and 2024.
The organisation said this is the first time in five years that the country has recorded such an improvement, signalling a positive shift in trade dynamics.
Buy Zimbabwe said the turnaround was largely driven by strong export growth, particularly in semi-manufactured goods, nickel mattes, and tobacco.
Regardless of the development, Buy Zimbabwe said there is a deep-seated structural weakness on the import side, where energy products remain the single largest drain on foreign currency, with diesel and petrol imports exceeding US$1,7 billion in 2025.
The organisation said this heavy reliance on imported fuel leaves the economy vulnerable to global price volatility and places sustained pressure on foreign currency reserves.
In addition, Buy Zimbabwe said food imports, notably maize, wheat, and soya products, alongside fertiliser imports, reflect ongoing gaps in domestic agricultural output and input production.
On the export front, the organisation said Zimbabwe’s earnings remain highly concentrated, with nearly half of total export revenues in 2025 coming from semi-manufactured products, while nickel mattes and tobacco accounted for a further 28 percent.
“Overall, the Buy Zimbabwe 2025 Import and Export Trade Analysis Report concludes that while progress has been made, lasting trade resilience will only be achieved through structural transformation,” reads the report.
“Key priorities include reducing energy import dependence through local refining capacity, renewable energy, and solar solutions, strengthening domestic food production in maize, wheat, and soya to curb imports, establishing local fertiliser manufacturing to support sustainable agriculture, and accelerating downstream processing and value addition in mining and agriculture to diversify exports and maximise foreign currency earnings.
“Zimbabwe’s 2025 trade story proves that improvement is possible. The challenge now is to convert this momentum into long-term resilience by anchoring growth on local production, value addition, and strategic import substitution.”
Online Reporter