The upcoming 25th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit presents an opportunity for the regional bloc to move beyond trade agreements and political declarations towards deeper economic integration, industrialisation, investment and expanded intra-regional trade. Scheduled for October 22 this year at Mt Hampden, outside Harare, the summit is expected to place productive integration at the centre of the regional agenda with a particular focus on building industries, strengthening regional value chains and creating an economic environment in which member states can produce more of the goods they consume. The gathering comes at a critical time for COMESA, which has established an extensive framework of trade facilitation instruments and regional institutions but continues to grapple with relatively low levels of trade among its members compared with the bloc’s overall trade with the rest of the world. Under the theme, “One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration in COMESA”, the Harare summit is expected to push for a more practical approach to integration, linking policy commitments to investment projects, manufacturing capacity and opportunities for businesses across the region. The summit will also mark Zimbabwe’s return to hosting the regional bloc’s highest-level meeting after 17 years. The country’s previous hosting of the summit was in Victoria Falls in June 2009 when the 13th COMESA Summit was held. This year’s meeting is expected to provide both a diplomatic milestone for Zimbabwe and an opportunity to advance the bloc’s economic transformation agenda. The official programme places considerable emphasis on implementation with industrialisation, regional value chains, critical minerals, agriculture and manufacturing expected to feature prominently in discussions. A major outcome will be the launch of COMESA’s 2026-2030 Medium-Term Strategic Plan, which is expected to provide a framework for advancing the bloc’s development priorities over the next five years. The emphasis on implementation follows growing concern over the region’s continued dependence on primary commodity exports and its limited manufacturing base. Assistant COMESA secretary general for administration and finance Dev Haman said the Industry Ministerial Declaration of September 8 this year highlighted these structural weaknesses and the need for a more coordinated response. He said the Harare summit was expected to advance a delivery framework built around corridor-based projects, supplier-development programmes, and common standards to strengthen industrial capacity and facilitate cross-border trade. Such measures could help member states move up regional and global value chains by processing more of their raw materials, expanding local manufacturing and creating stronger links between producers, suppliers and markets. The underlying challenge is that opening markets does not automatically translate into higher levels of production. For regional integration to generate meaningful economic benefits businesses must have the capacity to supply those markets competitively. The summit’s industrialisation
focus is intended to shift the conversation from market access alone towards building the productive capacity needed to make regional trade more balanced and sustainable .
