Kudzanai Sharara in Shanghai, China
ZIMBABWE is seeking to strengthen its position in international markets by expanding value-added exports, ZimTrade manager for export promotion, Mrs Vuyiswa Mafu, has said.
Speaking this morning at the Zimbabwe Business Forum in Shanghai, China, held on the sidelines of the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE), Mrs Mafu highlighted the country’s growing export capabilities across footwear, clothing and textiles, building and construction, and agriculture.
Zimbabwe’s export composition for 2025 shows how concentrated the current base still is. Minerals and alloys alone account for 79 percent of exports, while unmanufactured tobacco accounts for 14 percent. Together, those two raw categories make up 93 percent of what Zimbabwe sells abroad.
That contrast was central to Mrs Mafu’s message on tobacco. Zimbabwe exports unmanufactured tobacco worth 14 percent of total exports, but manufactured tobacco accounts for only 1 percent. The gap between selling leaf and selling a finished product, Mrs Mafu argued, is where value is being lost.
The same pattern runs through the rest of the country’s exports with processed foods accounting for only 1 percent of exports, the same share as horticulture and as inputs and implements. The footwear, clothing, steel products and oilseeds Mrs Mafu highlighted sit inside the small remaining share, with others at just 3 percent.
Mrs Mafu said footwear showed the potential of Zimbabwean manufacturers to penetrate international markets. In clothing and textiles, Zimbabwe was exporting men’s suits, jackets and trousers, women’s clothing, tracksuits, swimwear and materials used in tobacco packaging. Mrs Mafu said these products showed the potential of the local textiles industry to contribute more to export earnings through finished and value-added goods.
In building and construction, Mrs Mafu identified steel products from Zimbabwe’s steel plant as a major export. In agriculture, Mrs Mafu highlighted oilseeds and other products, and said the country needed greater emphasis on value addition to improve competitiveness and market reach.
That push is now unfolding against a sharp rise in trade with China. China Customs data shows bilateral trade surged to US$5.01 billion in the first three quarters of 2026, a 51.6 percent year-on-year increase. The figure is up from US$3.82 billion in the same period in 2025, and it has already surpassed the full-year level for 2025 by 13.6 percent.
Zimbabwe’s tobacco exports to China illustrate both the opportunity and the challenge Mrs Mafu described. Tobacco exports reached US$860 million in the January to September 2026 period, up 9.3 percent from US$786 million a year earlier. The growth was supported by the zero-tariff policy, which China says is helping Zimbabwe expand its agricultural exports.
Zimbabwean blueberries entered the Chinese market for the first time this July. The breakthrough points to the kind of higher-value agricultural trade Zimbabwe wants to see expand. China says it supports Zimbabwe in leveraging the zero-tariff policy to expand its exports, with cooperation delivering shared prosperity for both nations.
Mrs Mafu’s presentation underscored the importance of moving beyond primary commodities towards a more diversified export structure supported by manufacturing, processing and stronger market access. The figures she shared suggest that shift has barely started, with 93 percent of exports still coming from unprocessed minerals and tobacco leaf.
Mrs Mafu’s presentation highlighted the range of products Zimbabwe can offer international buyers and the scope for local businesses to expand their participation in regional and global value chains. If the surge in trade with China can be matched by growth in finished goods, Mrs Mafu argued, the partnership can move today from volume to value.
