Online Reporter
Africa Moyo
Deputy National Editor
ZIMBABWE’s incoming COMESA Chairmanship should move beyond ceremonial leadership and focus on enforcing practical, institutionalised measures that remove trade barriers, modernise key border posts and deepen regional economic integration, economist Mr Persistence Gwanyanya has said.
The country is due to assume the COMESA Chairmanship for the 2026–2027 period at a critical point for the regional bloc, where intra-regional trade remains relatively low despite the existence of a free trade area and several trade facilitation instruments.
Intra-COMESA trade remains structurally low, hovering between 7 percent and 9 percent, which lags significantly behind the European Union’s 60 percent and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ 25 percent.
The COMESA Medium-Term Strategic Plan 2026–2030 identifies consolidation of the regional market, infrastructure and connectivity, productive integration and a stronger Secretariat as key priorities.
It also targets an increase in intra-regional exports to 25 percent of total exports by 2026, while seeking to strengthen the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Zimbabwe will host the 25th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit on October 22 at the Parliament Building in Mt Hampden under the theme:
“One market, one future: Advancing inclusive industrialisation, investment and regional integration in COMESA.”
Mr Gwanyanya, who is a member of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Monetary Policy Committee and founder and chief executive officer of Bullion Group International, said Harare should use its Chairmanship to convert existing regional commitments into measurable outcomes for businesses and consumers.
He said priority should be given to practical obstacles that continue to make cross-border trade expensive, slow and unpredictable.
“Zimbabwe has an opportunity to use the COMESA chairmanship to move the region from declarations to implementation,” he said.
“The real test will not be the number of meetings held, but whether we can reduce the cost and time of moving goods, services and payments across borders.”
Tackling barriers to trade
A major area requiring decisive action is the elimination of non-tariff barriers (NTBs), which include administrative delays, inconsistent regulations, additional charges and transit-related obstacles.
Zimbabwe should push for stronger enforcement of National Monitoring Committees and a time-bound mechanism for resolving disputes when member States fail to address reported barriers.
“Trade facilitation has to become an enforceable regional obligation. If a trader is compliant but loses days at a border because of an administrative bottleneck, the entire objective of regional integration is undermined,” said Mr Gwanyanya.
Digitalisation offers another immediate opportunity.
COMESA already has an Electronic Single Window framework, while its Virtual Trade Facilitation System integrates several trade facilitation instruments and allows cargo to be monitored along regional corridors.
Zimbabwe, which is implementing the Electronic Single Window, can use its Chairmanship to accelerate coordinated adoption of such systems across member States, ensuring that national platforms are interoperable rather than operating in isolation.
Harmonisation of Rules of Origin and customs procedures with the AfCFTA framework should also be prioritised to reduce compliance costs arising from overlapping regional trade arrangements.
Mr Gwanyanya said regional payment systems should similarly be strengthened to make cross-border settlement easier and reduce excessive dependence on hard currencies.
“Payment systems are central to trade. If we facilitate the movement of goods but make settlement difficult, then we have only solved half of the problem,” he said.
Border modernisation critical
Modernisation of strategic border posts forms a central pillar of Zimbabwe’s trade facilitation agenda as the country assumes leadership of COMESA while remaining a key member of SADC.
The planned modernisation of Chirundu and Forbes border posts is particularly important given their role in facilitating the movement of goods and people along major regional corridors.
Chirundu is a critical gateway between Zimbabwe and Zambia, linking the country to the Democratic Republic of Congo and other markets in the northern SADC corridor.
Forbes Border Post, on the Zimbabwe-Mozambique corridor, is similarly important for trade with Maputo and provides access to wider eastern and Indian Ocean markets.
Upgrading the two border posts, alongside improved road infrastructure and digital customs systems, would help reduce clearance times, congestion and logistics costs while improving the predictability of regional trade.
The modernisation of Chirundu is being pursued alongside the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Harare–Chirundu Highway, with funding secured for the US$900 million project.
The project, to be implemented under a public-private partnership, is expected to be completed within 18 months and will rehabilitate the strategic corridor, easing congestion, improving road safety and strengthening regional trade.
The Harare–Chirundu corridor carries substantial commercial traffic linking Zimbabwe with Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other northern markets, making its efficiency important to both COMESA and SADC trade.
Forbes also requires modern infrastructure and more efficient border management systems to support increased trade flows between Zimbabwe, Mozambique and other regional markets.
Building regional value chains
Beyond trade facilitation, the country can use its Chairmanship to promote regional value chains in agriculture, manufacturing and mineral beneficiation.
Greater value addition and stronger production linkages would allow COMESA countries to trade more intermediate goods and components within the region, rather than relying heavily on imports from outside the bloc.
Zimbabwe’s mineral beneficiation drive, agricultural processing capacity and growing manufacturing base could provide opportunities for the country to contribute to regional value chains while creating markets for producers across the bloc.
Infrastructure must form part of the same agenda, particularly at strategic border posts and along major trade corridors.
The development of efficient transport links, digital customs systems, coordinated border agencies and interoperable payment platforms would collectively reduce the cost of moving goods across borders.
Mr Gwanyanya said Zimbabwe should ensure that its Chairmanship leaves behind systems that continue delivering results beyond the 2026–2027 tenure.
“That is how we create an enduring legacy — through institutions, systems and measurable improvements in regional trade,” he said.
For Zimbabwe, the COMESA Chairmanship therefore presents more than an opportunity to preside over regional meetings.
It offers a platform to drive practical reforms, modernise key trade gateways such as Chirundu and Forbes, lower the cost of doing business, increase intra-COMESA and SADC trade and strengthen regional integration.
The success of Zimbabwe’s tenure will ultimately be measured not by the number of summits and meetings held, but by whether traders experience faster border clearance, lower transaction costs, fewer administrative barriers and more predictable access to regional markets.
