Mnangagwa calls for removal of trade barriers to unlock COMESA's US$1.23 trillion market
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa opened the 19th COMESA Business Forum and Exhibition in Harare, calling for the urgent removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers, stronger public-private sector collaboration and accelerated value addition in a regional market valued at approximately US$1.23 trillion and home to 680 million people. He called for wider adoption of interoperable digital payment systems, electronic certificates of origin and electronic single-window platforms, and urged African economies to move beyond exporting raw commodities towards mineral beneficiation, value addition and local manufacturing. COMESA Secretary-General Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe called for renewed commitment to inclusive industrialisation and for converting policy aspirations into measurable outcomes.
Why it matters: The forum sets out the trade and regional integration agenda that COMESA member states are pursuing alongside AfCFTA implementation, including barrier reduction, digital trade facilitation and value addition.