Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe
Zimpapers Business Hub
ZIMBABWE’S assumption of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa chairmanship next month presents a major opportunity to accelerate value-added exports and position the country as a stronger regional manufacturing and trade hub, the National Competitiveness Commission has said.
NCC board chairperson Mrs Patience Chimuka said Zimbabwe could use its leadership of the 21-member trading bloc to deepen regional value chains, expand market access and strengthen the competitiveness of locally produced goods.
“As you would know, our President was recently appointed as Chairperson of COMESA, a 21-member trading bloc.
“I believe this presents a prime opportunity for Zimbabwe to cement itself as a powerhouse for value-added exports in the region, as we continue to build on our milestones while focusing on the critical cornerstones of competitiveness,” said Mrs Chimuka.
She was speaking at the Second Competitiveness Summit in Bulawayo yesterday, held under the theme “Accelerating Regulatory Reforms and Ease of Doing Business for a Dynamic and Competitive Zimbabwean Economy.”
Mrs Chimuka said the COMESA opportunity comes at a time when Zimbabwe needs to deliberately strengthen the foundations of competitiveness to enable businesses to take advantage of regional and continental markets.
“As the National Competitiveness Commission, we therefore recognise this moment as an opportunity to reflect on what we must do differently to position Zimbabwe as a more competitive economy,” she said.
Zimbabwe will officially take over the COMESA chairmanship for the 2026-2027 term from Kenya during the 25th Heads of State and Government Summit in Mt Hampden next month.
The COMESA trade bloc has a market size of over 640 million people and a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about US$1,2 trillion.
It trades about US$383 billion in global imports and exports.
Leadership of the bloc can give Zimbabwean industries several potential benefits, including a direct platform to push local goods into broader regional markets.
Mrs Chimuka’s remarks place regulatory and ease of doing business reforms at the centre of Zimbabwe’s strategy to derive greater economic value from its regional leadership.
The NCC said regulatory quality was a cornerstone of national competitiveness, requiring coherence and coordination across institutions to reduce duplication, overlaps and compliance costs.
It also called for evidence-based policymaking, digital transformation of regulatory processes and a sustainability approach to economic development.
She noted that competitiveness was critical to business viability, productivity and innovation, as well as the production of quality and affordable goods capable of competing in domestic, regional and global markets.
“Competitiveness is essential in supporting business viability, productivity, and innovation, production of quality and affordable products, thereby allowing industry to compete effectively in the domestic, regional and global market,” she said.
The summit comes as Zimbabwe seeks to align its competitiveness agenda with the Zimbabwe National Industrial Development Policy (ZNIDP) 2026–2030 and the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) 2026–2030, both of which place emphasis on improving productivity and competitiveness.
The NCC is also implementing several initiatives aimed at building an evidence-based competitiveness framework, including the National Competitiveness Strategy 2026–2030 and Regulatory Impact Assessment programme.
The Regulatory Impact Assessment will review existing and new business regulations to determine their impact on the cost of doing business, with recommendations for amendments or repeals where appropriate.
The commission is also undertaking a National Competitiveness Baseline Survey to develop a localised competitiveness indicators database.
According to Mrs Chimuka, this will help Zimbabwe move beyond reliance on international statistics that may not fully capture the country’s economic realities and potential.
The commission is also undertaking value-chain competitiveness engagements aimed at promoting local production and domesticating value chains.
The initiative is expected to contribute towards reducing the import bill, supporting food security, creating jobs and improving the availability, affordability and quality of goods and services.
At the regional level, the NCC said Africa’s economic integration, particularly through the African Continental Free Trade Area, was creating opportunities for trade, investment, industrialisation and development of regional value chains.
The COMESA chairmanship would provide an additional platform to pursue these objectives while strengthening the domestic productive base.
Mrs Chimuka urged stakeholders across the economy to work with the Commission in implementing competitiveness programmes.
“Let us embrace competitiveness not merely as a policy objective, but as a national imperative—one that requires all of us to contribute towards building a productive, innovative and competitive Zimbabwe, with the benefits reaching the ordinary trader and smallholder farmer in our communities,” she said.
“Last but not least, I am calling upon stakeholders across all the key sectors of the economy to cooperate and collaborate with the Commission towards the successful/ impactful implementation of competitiveness programmes.
“Let this Summit strengthen our collective resolve to reform, to modernise and to deliver results.”
NCC’s 2026 programme also includes a Rural and Urban Councils’ Competitiveness Index covering all 92 local authorities, as well as international competitiveness surveys that will benchmark Zimbabwe against other economies.
