By Archford Chirimudombo
Harare, 04 September 2026 (New Ziana) – The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit, which Zimbabwe is preparing to host and chair next month, is expected to put the country’s industry in the limelight.
Zimbabwe will take over the regional bloc’s rotational chairmanship from Kenya for the 2026-2027 term, culminating in the 25th Heads of State and Government Summit on 22 October 2026.
The Summit will provide leverage to drive industrialisation, boost mineral and agricultural exports, and remove cross-border trade bottlenecks across the 21 member states, which include Burundi, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) president, Josephine Takundwa, said the Summit will provide impetus for business growth and empowerment, as the country drives its Vision 2030 economic blueprint seeking to attain upper middle income economic status.
“This Summit comes at a time when our economy is on a positive trajectory, and as the ZNCC, it will unlock market access and financing as well as create partnerships for our local companies.
“Our business leaders should take advantage of the Summit and leverage it to showcase what they can offer to promote regional trade in front of investors, financial institutions and businesses from across the COMESA market,” Takundwa said.
She added that Zimbabwe is institutionally positioned for growth in regional trade and was confident that the ZNCC’s input at the Summit will be considered.
“As the ZNCC, we champion the liberalisation of goods markets, the lowering of corporate tax rates and the alignment of Zimbabwe’s trade and investment laws with the requirements of regional and continental blocs.
“Local manufacturers need a larger market to support investment and economies of scale, and we cannot rely on the domestic market alone. We must use our COMESA chairmanship to remove barriers that make it difficult for Zimbabwean products to compete across borders,” she said.
The Summit will be held under the theme: ‘One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration in COMESA,’ and will promote investment, industrialisation and regional economic integration.
The COMESA Business Forum will kick off on 20 October, and followed by the Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs on 21 October, before the 25th Heads of State and Government Summit the following day.
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