Online Reporter
THERE was a sound that resonated louder than the clinking of glasses at the recent official opening of the just-ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo.
It was the sound of a nation reclaiming its destiny.
That sound was unmistakable in Bulawayo on Thursday as Botswana President Duma Boko, standing on Zimbabwean soil, declared that the country’s economic growth inspires not just a country, but an entire continent.
For the Zimbabwean soul, such words are vindication.
When a neighbour’s leader tells the world that “the world is watching” as President Mnangagwa steers the ship towards inclusive growth, it is a powerful counter-narrative to decades of doom-laden prophecy.
President Boko’s remarks at the 66th ZITF were not mere diplomatic pleasantries.
They were an honest assessment of a remarkable comeback.
With economic growth hitting 7,5 percent in 2025 — outperforming most regional peers despite a crippling drought — and a projected 5 percent in 2026, Zimbabwe is not just recovering; it is surging.
Mining and agriculture, the twin engines of this boom, are pulling the nation towards the “Vision 2030” goal of an upper middle-income economy.
But what makes this accomplishment truly staggering is the weight Zimbabwe carries while running this race.
For a quarter of a century — 25 long years — this nation has laboured under the crushing burden of illegal sanctions.
Any other economy might have buckled. Many have. Yet here stands Zimbabwe, not at the back of the queue begging for mercy, but at the front of the hall inspiring its neighbours. How is this possible?
President Mnangagwa was recently asked exactly that by American journalist and talk show host Tucker Carlson.
His answer cut to the core of the Second Republic’s philosophy.
He explained that the secret lies in looking inward when outward doors are locked. Rather than waiting for Western approval, Zimbabwe turned to its land, its people and its untapped potential.
The mantra became production, not petition.
The result is a national stubbornness that transforms adversity into advantage.
“Our economy has faced challenges. I am sure you are aware Zimbabwe has been under sanctions for decades as a result of us claiming our land from the British and making ourselves independent,” President Mnangagwa told Carlson.
“We seized the land and gave it to our people, so sanctions were imposed on us. But in spite of all that, we have developed and we are happy that we have developed on our own and we feel very independent.”
President Boko also touched on the fundamental need to ensure that growth must translate into “real transformation in the lives of those on the downside of society”.
That is the Second Republic’s unfinished business: ensuring that a 7,5 percent gross domestic product (GDP) figure means a full plate and a paying job for the vendor in Mbare and the miner in Zvishavane.
Crucially, President Boko also reminded the region of a painful truth: intra-African trade languishes at a dismal 15 percent.
His call to move “from frameworks to function, from agreement to action” echoes President Mnangagwa’s own relentless advocacy.
Africa must stop carting away its raw materials and start creating value.
Zimbabwe, under this administration, is already walking that path — from beneficiation to manufacturing.
The irony is poetic.
A country choked by unilateral penalties for 25 years is now lecturing the continent on resilience.
A nation that Western powers sought to isolate is now the one drawing regional leaders to its trade fair.
As President Boko eloquently put it, Zimbabwe bled, and Botswana bled alongside it in the liberation struggle.
Now, they rise together.
The Second Republic has not merely opened the ZITF gates; it has opened a new chapter in Zimbabwe’s heritage.
From the halls of Bulawayo to the corridors of the African Union, the message is clear: Zimbabwe is taking its pride of place.
Not because the world permitted it, but because a quarter-century of sanctions could not break a people who refused to surrender.
Let the world watch.
Zimbabwe is already moving.
