Bothwell P. Nyajeka
ZIMBABWE now chairs the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa). President Emmerson Mnangagwa took over from Kenya’s President William Ruto at the 25th Comesa Summit in Harare on October 22, 2026, putting Zimbabwe at the helm of the bloc through to 2027.
Held under the theme “One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration in Comesa”, the gathering dominated local and regional headlines. Yet there is a real risk that corporate directors will archive the event as mere political event that belongs outside the boardroom. That would be a mistake. Regional trading blocs shape markets, competition, investment, supply chains, regulation and the movement of goods. In the boardroom, these summits are not background noise but have an impact on the business operating environment.
On paper, the scale of the bloc is formidable. Comesa’s 21 member states span from Egypt and Tunisia in the north to Eswatini in the south, encompassing a combined market of more than 640 million people. According to figures from Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this vast network represents a collective GDP of approximately US$1,2 trillion.
However, the operational reality is less encouraging. Member states still trade very little with one another. Intra-Comesa exports were about US$13 billion in 2025, down from a peak of US$18 billion in 2023. A market that is large on paper is not necessarily large in practice, and boards that plan on the paper version will be disappointed.
The strategic priority for directors is therefore to widen their geographic lens. Instead of asking only how the company can grow within Zimbabwe, the board should also ask how it can serve a regional market. That mindset shift can change decisions on production capacity, product standards, distribution, partnerships and capital investment. For instance, a manufacturer whose local market looks too small to justify a major investment may reach a different conclusion against regional demand. Similarly, an agricultural business may find buyers for processed products in neighbouring or northern member states; while a financial services company may find a role in regional trade, payments, insurance and investment.
A large bloc does not guarantee commercial success. It merely changes the size of the opportunity against which strategic decisions are judged. The board’s responsibility is to find where the company can create value profitably, and not to chase regional expansion because it has become politically fashionable.
Bridging the gap between political statements and commercial reality requires tackling severe structural friction. In his opening address, incoming chairman, President Mnangagwa, targeted these obstacles directly, calling for the urgent removal of non-tariff barriers, infrastructure bottlenecks, and misaligned policies. High transport charges, border delays, and currency convertibility restrictions can quickly erode the theoretical value of a 640 million strong market. To mitigate these risks, the board must mandate that every regional expansion proposal should be supported by a detailed market, legal, financial and operational analysis.
Further complicating things, Zimbabwe belongs to several overlapping trade blocs. The country simultaneously navigates Comesa, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the African Continental Free Trade Area. Tariff rules, product standards and customs procedures differ across these frameworks. A product that qualifies for preferential treatment under one may not automatically qualify under another. Directors do not need to become customs specialists. They must make sure management has the right expertise before regional investments are approved.
Companies seeking to benefit should also build stronger strategic intelligence. This means collecting, interpreting and using information on developments that could affect the company’s future. It is broader than market research, and covers political, regulatory, economic, technological, security and social change.
Crucially, any regional strategy must be stress-tested against geopolitical disruption. For instance, the pre-summit foreign ministers’ meeting in Harare highlighted ongoing instability across the bloc, namely conflicts in Sudan and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the security concerns in Somalia, and fragile peace processes in Ethiopia. For a board, these are not distant political issues, they are risks that directly impact supply chain security, transport logistics, and asset protection.
In addition, severe health crises also pose a threat to regional trade. The devastating Ebola outbreak, which has disrupted parts of the DRC since May 2026, underscores the immediate dangers facing cross-border trade. Any business with exposure to the DRC must consider the impact of a border closure, a quarantine or what a conflict would do to its employees, customers, logistics and cash flows. Boards cannot afford to rely on singular overly optimistic forecasts, they must ask management to simulate risk scenarios: base case, best case and worst case.
The rapidly evolving landscape raises fundamental questions about the board’s composition. Does the board have the mix of skills to understand regional trade, investment and geopolitical dynamics? Where gaps exist, the company should proactively recruit directors with proven regional experience, retain specialist advisers or invite experts to brief the board. In addition, management, too, needs people who understand Comesa provisions and member state requirements, including customs procedures, rules of origin and regulatory change. That competence should never sit with one employee. It must be documented and built into the company’s systems.
Regional trade is supported by formal agreements, but international commerce ultimately thrives on relationships. Zimbabwean companies should build links with regional industry associations, chambers of commerce, investment agencies, and professional advisers. These relationships show how the rules work in practice, give early warning of regulatory change and open doors to policy discussions. Boards must ensure that relationship building stays ethical and transparent, because new markets can bring unfamiliar practices and pressure to make improper payments.
Good governance is often reduced to compliance with laws and board procedures. However, company resilience also depends on a board’s ability to read the external environment strategically. This is because, geopolitics, regional integration and regulatory change also shape the competitiveness and legitimacy of corporate decisions.
Ultimately, Zimbabwe’s Comesa chairmanship is therefore more than a diplomatic achievement. It stands as an urgent, practical prompt for every local board to reconsider the boundaries of its market and the assumptions beneath its strategy.
l Nyajeka is a business turnaround, corporate strategy and governance consultant. He is also a seasoned facilitator with the Institute of Directors, Zimbabwe and chairman of ACR Solutions. For business turnaround, corporate strategy development and board advisory services contact him on bnyajeka@acr4solutions.com