By Zachary Gava
Harare, (New Ziana) – The World Bank has identifed stronger regional trade and improved connectivity as key drivers of economic growth for Zimbabwe, with the report coming at a significant moment for the country, as it prepares to assume the chairmanship of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
In its Zimbabwe Country Report: Growth and Jobs, released on Friday, the World Bank says the country has significant potential to benefit from regional and continental trade, but should address high transport costs, border delays and other barriers that make it difficult for businesses to compete.
The World Bank report comes as Zimbabwe prepares to host the 25th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit in Harare on October 22 this year.
Zimbabwe became COMESA Vice Chair at the 24th Summit of the bloc in Nairobi, Kenya, in October last year, and will now assume the rotating chairmanship for 2026–2027 when it hosts the next summit.
The 2026 summit will be held under the theme “One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialization, Investment and Regional Integration in COMESA,” placing trade, investment and industrialization at the centre of Zimbabwe’s regional leadership agenda.
In the report, the World Bank states that Zimbabwe’s strategic location allows it to become a major regional transit and logistics hub.
“Zimbabwe’s strategic location at the intersection of several of the region’s most significant trade corridors gives it the potential to capture transit revenues and trade-facilitation services, it says.
Zimbabwe sits along major routes including the North-South Corridor linking Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to Durban, as well as the Beira Corridor through Mozambique.
However, the World Bank warns that landlocked position of Zimbabwe means its trade costs are roughly 1.4 times those of coastal economies, making efficient borders and transport infrastructure critical to unlocking its regional trade potential.
Zimbabwe also has a major opportunity under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which complements its COMESA responsibilities.
The World Bank analysis places Zimbabwe as the second-highest potential beneficiary of AfCFTA in Africa, with the potential for a 12 percent real-income gain and a 47 percent increase in exports by 2035, provided trade-facilitation reforms accompany tariff reductions.
The World Bank also points to Chirundu, where the One-Stop Border Post model was established under COMESA and SADC frameworks, as an example of regional integration in practice.
With COMESA comprising 21 member states, Zimbabwe’s chairmanship provides an opportunity to push practical measures that expand intra-regional trade, strengthen value chains and create opportunities for local producers and exporters.
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