Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba in Gweru
ZIMBABWE’S incoming chairmanship of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) presents an opportunity for the country’s property and construction industry to access regional markets, attract investment and expand business beyond borders.
Property developers, construction experts and manufacturers say the 12-month tenure should be used to forge partnerships, mobilise capital and position Zimbabwean companies to participate in housing and infrastructure projects across the bloc.
Zimbabwe will take over the COMESA chairmanship from Kenya for the 2026-2027 term when it hosts the 25th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit at Mt Hampden on October 22.
The regional bloc represents more than 640 million people, has a combined Gross Domestic Product of about US$1 trillion and records global imports and exports worth about US$383 billion, presenting opportunities for trade, investment and professional services.
Dr Tinashe Manzungu, a construction expert who served on the seven-member board of the COMESA Business Council, said the industry could benefit if regional integration eased the movement of capital, services and construction materials.
“For construction and property development, regional integration is important because a project does not start and end with the developer. It involves financiers, contractors, manufacturers, professional services and suppliers. If COMESA makes it easier for these players to work across borders, then we can see more regional construction partnerships,” Dr Manzungu said.
He said Zimbabwe should use its chairmanship to promote financing models for large-scale housing and infrastructure projects.
“One of the biggest issues in property development is access to affordable and long-term finance. COMESA provides an opportunity to bring financial institutions, investors, pension funds and development-finance institutions into conversations around infrastructure and housing. We need to use regional integration to mobilise capital for productive projects,” he said.
Dr Manzungu said Zimbabwe could export construction expertise while accessing technologies and investment to modernise its domestic industry.
“The opportunity is two-way. Zimbabwe must not only ask what we can import from COMESA. We must ask what Zimbabwe can export — whether it is construction services, engineering expertise, building materials, financial services or technology. That is how regional integration becomes meaningful,” he said.
Property developer Mr Fred Kapuya said the opportunity extended beyond house construction to manufacturers and suppliers of building materials.
“A house is not only bricks and mortar. Every housing project creates a value chain. There are opportunities for brick manufacturers, steel companies, cement producers, plumbing and electrical suppliers, transporters and furniture manufacturers. If Zimbabwean companies can supply projects across COMESA, we create an entirely new market for our industries,” he said.
Mr Kapuya said local developers should look beyond the domestic market and explore opportunities across the region.
“Our developers should begin thinking regionally. The COMESA market is too large for us to continue thinking only about the number of houses we can build locally. There are housing shortages and infrastructure needs across the region, and Zimbabwean companies can participate through partnerships, technical expertise and investment,” he said.
The experts said the opportunity came as Zimbabwe seeks to revive industrial production and increase exports. COMESA’s objectives include widening and strengthening its common market, improving industrial productivity, developing infrastructure and promoting more harmonised financial systems.
Dr Smelly Dube, a housing development expert, miner and businessperson, said Zimbabwe should use its leadership of the bloc to connect local developers with regional investors and promote joint ventures in housing and infrastructure.
“COMESA gives Zimbabwe an opportunity to look at housing as part of regional economic development rather than as an isolated national programme. Housing creates demand for cement, steel, tiles, electrical equipment, furniture, transport, engineering and financial services. If we can connect these sectors to the COMESA market, the impact becomes much bigger than simply constructing houses,” she said.
Dr Dube said industrialisation and property development should be planned together.
“You cannot have industrialisation without housing and infrastructure,” she said.
President Mnangagwa has framed Zimbabwe’s forthcoming COMESA chairmanship as an economic opportunity, with the country expected to advance trade, investment, industrialisation and regional integration. He is expected to succeed Kenyan President William Ruto as chairperson at the summit on October 22.
The summit will be preceded by the COMESA Business Forum from October 19 to 21, bringing together business leaders, investors, policymakers and industry experts under the theme, “One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration in COMESA”.
Mr Kapuya said the forum should produce tangible investment commitments.
“We need to come out of these meetings with projects. We need investors who are prepared to put money into housing, infrastructure and manufacturing. We need developers sitting with financiers and regional partners and identifying projects that can actually be implemented,” he said.
Zimbabwe exported goods worth US$222 million to COMESA in 2025, up from US$201 million in 2024, pointing to scope for expanding trade with the regional market.
