marble nkomo
The latest official data on the country’s export performance indicates an economy on the rise.
The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency said the value of merchandise exports rose to $8,57bn between January and November last year, from $6,74bn over the comparative period in 2024.
ZimTrade, the national trade and export promotion agency, expects exports to have ended the year at $9,1bn, on track to reach $14bn target by 2030.
“These results not only surpassed expectations but also positioned the country among the leading export performers in the Sadc region,” we quoted a ZimTrade update as saying yesterday.
“Based on current trends, merchandise exports are expected to reach around US$9,12 billion by the end of the year, surpassing the national target of US$8,1 billion. This indicates that total exports will account for roughly 19 percent of Zimbabwe’s GDP in 2025.
“The performance reflects the growing strength of Zimbabwe’s productive sectors, the firming global demand for the country’s goods, and the deliberate shift towards value addition that the Second Republic continues to promote.”
The export growth is yet another positive to emerge last year, emphasising the fact that the economy is, indeed, bouncing.
Annual inflation declined sharply and is seen reaching single digits this quarter, a record not seen since the late 1990s. The Zimbabwe Gold recovered its stride last year, firm at around 27 to the dollar.
Another green shot was the $16,2bn that the economy generated in forex receipts last year from $13,3bn in 2024.
Authorities and the productive sector must come up with strategies and processes to build on the 2025 export performance.
Miners, farmers and so on must double down on investment in new technologies, capabilities and projects, with the Government putting in place policies to support them.
We are talking about capabilities and technologies because while we are proud of the growth in exports, we are concerned that the bulk of them remain commodities.
“Notably, 2025 has seen significant growth in value-added exports, which increased by 29 percent from US$404 million between January and November 2024 to US$522 million during the same period in 2025,” ZimTrade added.
“The shift from raw commodities to products with higher levels of processing has become an essential part of Zimbabwe’s growth narrative, supporting better earnings, job creation, and long-term competitiveness.
“Additionally, this shift fosters product diversification, which is essential in a sustainable export-led economy, as it drives innovation and mitigates against global shocks, including price volatility.”
The statistics show an improvement in the contribution of value-added exports, but the contribution is too tiny.
About $8bn worth of exports left the country in commodity form, while just above half a billion dollars in exports were beneficiated.
That’s why we urge the Government to strictly enforce local processing thresholds that are already in the mining and tobacco sectors.
Online Reporter