Zimbabwe this week plays host to more than 1 000 delegates attending the COMESA Summit which starts in the capital, Harare today.
All the 21- member states that make up the regional block are expected to be represented at the Summit which kicks off with the Green Industry Connect event.
This will be followed by the Business Forum tomorrow. Foreign Affairs Ministers will meet after the Business Forum to prepare the agenda for the 25th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit scheduled for Thursday at the new Parliament building in Mount Hampden.
President Mnangagwa will assume the chairmanship of the block for the 2026-2027 term.
Zimbabwe has once again been presented with a big challenge to lead and give direction to a trading block with a population of 640 million people and combined domestic product of US$1,23 trillion.
This year’s Summit is running under the theme: “One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration in COMESA”.
During its term, Zimbabwe is expected, not only to push for the strengthening of one COMESA market for today and the future but to also promote inclusive industrialisation, investment and regional integration.
President Mnangagwa who chaired SADC during the 2024-2025 term will obviously use the experience he gained to steer the COMESA regional block whose objectives are almost similar to those of SADC. COMESA and SADC both want Africa’s modernisation and industrialisation accelerated hence the need to adopt science, technology and innovation.
COMESA, like the rest of Africa, is endowed with natural resources such as minerals, oil, good agricultural land, gas reserves and other such resources but lags behind in terms of industrialisation due to decades of colonial occupation.
Africa’s resources were plundered to develop Western countries’ industries. COMESA’S institutions of higher learning and its technopreneurs should come up with solutions that speak to the intricacies of the regional block’s economies in order to address issues such as trade barriers.
Border efficiency and digital trade facilitation are key in promoting regional integration hence the need for COMESA countries to unite and work together in this area.
Zimbabwe has already made a decision to encourage and promote value addition and beneficiation and this will take centre stage as it leads COMESA’s modernisation and industrialisation.
COMESA can no longer afford to export raw materials to benefit Western countries as its citizens need to derive maximum benefits from their natural resources through production of finished goods.
