Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve
ZIMBABWE is not a peripheral economy but a strategic gateway for continental trade integration and Government is taking bold steps to modernise infrastructure and enhance border efficiency, Vice President Dr Kembo Mohadi has said.
Officiating at the 2026 Connect Africa Symposium on the sidelines of the 66th Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo yesterday, VP Mohadi said the country’s geographic position at the intersection of SADC and COMESA presents a unique advantage for anchoring regional value chains and logistics corridors across Southern Africa.
“Zimbabwe plays a crucial role in the continent’s economic integration and in enhancing intra-Africa trade.
“Our geographic location at the intersection of SADC and COMESA positions Zimbabwe not as a peripheral economy, but as a gateway economy which can anchor regional value chains, logistics corridors, and trade facilitation across Southern Africa,” he said.
Government is cognisant of this strategic advantage and is taking bold steps to modernise and construct road and energy infrastructure, increase digital connectivity and enhance efficiency at the borders and airports to improve trade facilitation, VP Mohadi added.
He cited the recently completed upgrade and modernisation of the Beitbridge Border Post, at a cost of about US$300 million and an integral part of the North-South corridor, as evidence of the Government’s commitment.
The VP said the rehabilitation of the Harare-Beitbridge Road is nearly complete, with over 540 kilometres of the 582 kilometres finished.
His remarks come as Africa grapples with persistently low intra-continental trade, which accounts for only 14 to 18 percent of the continent’s total trade, compared with nearly 60 percent in Asia and over 70 percent in Europe.
“The global shocks of geopolitical tensions and shifts in the multilateral trading system call for a strong African position within the global geopolitical economy.
“It is, therefore, a foregone conclusion that, in this zero-sum trading ecosystem, Africa should reflect, adapt and adopt, or risk being left behind,” said VP Mohadi.
He called for accelerated implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, describing it not merely as an economic necessity but a strategic pathway for inclusive growth, resilience and sustainable development.
VP Mohadi said the AfCFTA transforms over 50 small and fragmented markets into one huge market of 1.4 billion people.
