Zimbabwe and Zambia have set in motion a plan to dismantle trade barriers, harmonise border operations and accelerate industrial and energy cooperation, signalling a decisive shift towards practical economic integration between the two neighbours.
The momentum was captured at the Joint Ministerial Preparatory Meeting for the inaugural Zimbabwe–Zambia Bi-National Commission (BNC) held in Harare on Thursday, co-chaired by Zimbabwe Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Professor Amon Murwira and Zambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mr. Mulambo Haimbe.
The meeting laid the groundwork for a series of far-reaching agreements that will be signed when Presidents Emmerson Mnangagwa and Hakainde Hichilema meet in Harare, marking 45 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Professor Murwira described the BNC as a defining moment in Zimbabwe–Zambia relations — one that moves the partnership “from declarations to implementation.”
“We are not moving backwards; we are moving forward,” he said. “Our mission is to remove all barriers to trade, commerce, and the movement of our people. Development means freeing our capabilities and dismantling colonial laws that limit our progress.”
He cited the Joint Industrialisation Programme under COMESA, the Kariba hydroelectric cooperation, and infrastructure ventures such as the Lions’ Den–Kafue railway link and the Batoka Gorge Hydropower Project as key levers for transforming the region’s economic landscape.
“If linking Kafue to Lion’s Den means connecting Zambia to the Indian Ocean and Zimbabwe to Dar es Salaam — that is not a crime, that is progress,” Murwira said. “It means we must sign that MOU.”
He also reaffirmed Zimbabwe’s push for a “zero-tariff” border regime, saying the Zambezi River should be viewed not as a dividing line but as a “belt that ties us together.”
“Zambezi is not our border — it is our source of life,” he said. “Our goal is a seamless, zero-tariff border that turns our proximity into shared prosperity.”
In his remarks, Zambia’s Foreign Minister Mr. Mulambo Haimbe said the formalisation of the BNC represents a strategic leap in the two nations’ development agenda, guided by their Heads of State.
“This BNC is not just an upgrade of previous cooperation frameworks,” Haimbe said. “It is a deliberate step to turn our shared aspirations into measurable outcomes in trade, energy, and industrialisation.”
Haimbe highlighted the upcoming Joint Zambia–Zimbabwe Industrial Park as a flagship project that will drive manufacturing and value addition under the COMESA and AfCFTA frameworks.
He also confirmed progress on the Zambia–Zimbabwe–Mozambique Power Interconnector, describing it as “central to regional energy security and industrial stability.”
Both ministers stressed the importance of modernising border management to improve efficiency at Chirundu and Victoria Falls, as well as expediting the signing of pending MoUs in transport, immigration, police cooperation and tourism.
Mr. Haimbe reaffirmed Zambia’s call for the removal of sanctions on Zimbabwe, saying they hinder Southern Africa’s collective development.
“Our bond transcends geography,” he said. “We share a history, a culture, and a struggle for independence. Zambia stands firmly with Zimbabwe in advocating for the complete removal of sanctions that constrain its economic potential.”
The meeting also reaffirmed commitments to joint conservation and resource management, including the Zambezi River Basin, the Victoria Falls/Mosi-oa-Tunya World Heritage Site, and intensified collaboration on peace and security.
New Ziana
