Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe, [email protected]
ZIMBABWE’S assumption of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) chairmanship next month presents a major opportunity to accelerate value-added exports and strengthen the country’s position as a regional manufacturing and trade hub, the National Competitiveness Commission (NCC) has said.
NCC board chairperson Mrs Patience Chimuka said Zimbabwe could leverage its leadership of the 21-member trading bloc to deepen regional value chains, expand market access and improve the competitiveness of locally manufactured products.
“As you would know, our President was recently appointed as Chairperson of COMESA, a 21-member trading bloc. I believe this presents a prime opportunity for Zimbabwe to cement itself as a powerhouse for value-added exports in the region, as we continue to build on our milestones while focusing on the critical cornerstones of competitiveness,” said Mrs Chimuka.
She was speaking at the Second Competitiveness Summit in Bulawayo yesterday, held under the theme, “Accelerating Regulatory Reforms and Ease of Doing Business for a Dynamic and Competitive Zimbabwean Economy.”
Mrs Chimuka said the COMESA opportunity comes at a critical time when Zimbabwe must deliberately strengthen the foundations of competitiveness to enable businesses to fully exploit regional and continental markets.
“As the National Competitiveness Commission, we therefore recognise this moment as an opportunity to reflect on what we must do differently to position Zimbabwe as a more competitive economy,” she said.
Zimbabwe will officially assume the COMESA chairmanship for the 2026-2027 term from Kenya during the 25th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit in Mt Hampden next month.
The COMESA bloc has a market of more than 640 million people and a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of approximately US$1.2 trillion.
The regional bloc records about US$383 billion in global trade, presenting significant opportunities for member states to expand exports and attract investment.
Leadership of the bloc is expected to provide Zimbabwean industries with a strategic platform to promote locally produced goods across wider regional markets.
Mrs Chimuka said regulatory reform and improvements in the ease of doing business would be central to Zimbabwe’s efforts to maximise the benefits of its regional leadership role.
The NCC noted that regulatory quality remains a cornerstone of national competitiveness and called for stronger coordination across institutions to reduce duplication, regulatory overlaps and compliance costs.
The commission also advocated evidence-based policymaking, digital transformation of regulatory systems and a sustainability-driven approach to economic development.
She said competitiveness was essential for business viability, productivity and innovation, while also supporting the production of quality and affordable goods capable of competing in domestic, regional and international markets.
“Competitiveness is essential in supporting business viability, productivity, and innovation, production of quality and affordable products, thereby allowing industry to compete effectively in the domestic, regional and global market,” she said.
The summit comes as Zimbabwe seeks to align its competitiveness agenda with the Zimbabwe National Industrial Development Policy (ZNIDP) 2026-2030 and National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) 2026-2030, both of which prioritise productivity growth and enhanced competitiveness.
The NCC is implementing several initiatives aimed at building an evidence-based competitiveness framework, including the National Competitiveness Strategy 2026-2030 and the Regulatory Impact Assessment programme.
The Regulatory Impact Assessment programme will evaluate both existing and proposed business regulations to determine their impact on the cost of doing business, while recommending amendments or repeals where necessary.
The commission is also conducting a National Competitiveness Baseline Survey to establish a localised competitiveness indicators database.
According to Mrs Chimuka, the initiative will help Zimbabwe reduce its reliance on international data sets that may not fully reflect the country’s economic realities and growth potential.
The commission is also undertaking value-chain competitiveness engagements aimed at promoting local production and strengthening domestic value chains.
The initiative is expected to help reduce the import bill, enhance food security, create jobs and improve the availability, affordability and quality of goods and services.
At the regional level, the NCC noted that Africa’s economic integration agenda, particularly through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), continues to create opportunities for trade, investment, industrialisation and the development of regional value chains.
The COMESA chairmanship is expected to provide an additional platform for Zimbabwe to advance these objectives while strengthening its domestic productive capacity.
Mrs Chimuka urged stakeholders across all sectors of the economy to support the Commission’s competitiveness initiatives.
“Let us embrace competitiveness not merely as a policy objective, but as a national imperative — one that requires all of us to contribute towards building a productive, innovative and competitive Zimbabwe, with the benefits reaching the ordinary trader and smallholder farmer in our communities,” she said.
“Last but not least, I am calling upon stakeholders across all the key sectors of the economy to cooperate and collaborate with the Commission towards the successful/ impactful implementation of competitiveness programmes.
“Let this Summit strengthen our collective resolve to reform, to modernise and to deliver results.”
NCC’s 2026 programme also includes the development of a Rural and Urban Councils’ Competitiveness Index covering all 92 local authorities, as well as international competitiveness surveys that will benchmark Zimbabwe’s performance against other economies.
