Online Reporter
Michael Tome
Business Reporter
Zimbabwe must urgently strengthen its transport and logistics infrastructure if it is to fully benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Prominent Economist and Lecturer in the Business and Economic Sciences at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Mr Stevenson Dhlamini, made these remarks at the Construction Industry Federation of Zimbabwe (CIFOZ) 2025 Annual Congress.
In his presentation entitled “The New Carthage: How the AfCFTA Forges a Continental Economy from Concrete and Capital”, Mr Dhlamini said Zimbabwe has a “natural hub” advantage on the North–South Corridor, but the positioning is meaningless without world-class efficiency.
He noted that although Zimbabwe is strategically located at the centre of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) transport grid, authorities risk overestimating the value of geography without matching investment and policy action.
Mr Dhlamini implored the authorities to rapidly improve transit systems, border processes, and digital logistics platforms to position itself as a preferred route for regional cargo.
He added that freight operators will always choose paths offering lower costs and fewer delays, regardless of historical or geographical assumptions.
“Much is made of Zimbabwe’s geographic centrality, but this is a dangerous and seductive fallacy. Geography is static in the 21st century; economic advantage is dynamic. Zimbabwe will only attract traffic if it offers the lowest friction, the fastest transit times, the most efficient logistics, and the most predictable costs. Without that, trade will simply reroute,” said Mr Dhlamini.
This comes as implementation of Zimbabwe’s AfCFTA agenda continues to take shape.
While the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) provides broad policy direction, the national AfCFTA implementation strategy, first initiated in 2019, is yet to take shape.
“The delay signals a worrying gap between ambition and execution. This inertia creates a vacuum that players such as the CIFOZ must help fill—not as passive observers but as active drivers of policy, reform, and infrastructure development.”
The drive to position Zimbabwe competitively on regional trade corridors is expected to stimulate significant demand in the construction sector, taking off from the mega infrastructure upgrades already underway by the Government.
Rehabilitation of the Beitbridge–Harare–Chirundu highway and the US$300 million upgrade of the Beitbridge Border Post have been cited as key milestones.
Mr Dhlamini said these are not isolated national projects but critical components of a wider continental trade network.
“The expertise gained from such large-scale infrastructure work becomes a form of currency. It positions local firms to compete for major continental projects, including the Abidjan–Lagos Highway and the Lobito Corridor.”
With neighbouring countries moving quickly to align themselves with AfCFTA’s trade harmonisation agenda, Zimbabwe risks losing transit traffic and the associated economic benefits if it lags behind.
Experts argue that if Zimbabwe modernises its infrastructure and streamlines its logistics systems, the North–South Corridor could become a powerful lever for economic growth.
But if not, the country’s central location becomes irrelevant.
“The corridor is an opportunity, not a guarantee. Zimbabwe must prove that it can move goods faster, more predictably, and at a lower cost than competing routes. That is the only way to unlock AfCFTA’s potential,” said Mr Dhlamini.
