Zimbabwe has intensified its shift toward an export-led growth model, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa declaring at the 2026 ZimTrade Annual Exporters’ Conference that export-oriented production is no longer just a business strategy, but a national economic imperative aimed at increasing foreign currency earnings and strengthening economic resilience under National Development Strategy 2.
The President said the country must decisively move away from reliance on raw commodity exports, stressing that “we must transition from exporting raw materials to producing processed and value-added goods across mining, agriculture, manufacturing and forestry, because value addition is the pathway to industrialisation, job creation and sustainable economic growth.”
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He outlined priority areas under the new export thrust, noting that “Our focus is on downstream beneficiation of minerals, expanding tobacco exports beyond raw leaf, revitalising the cotton-to-clothing value chain, and accelerating growth in horticulture and livestock exports so that more value is retained within our borders.”
Mnangagwa said government reforms are underway, explaining that “to support our exporters, Government is implementing reforms to simplify trade processes, modernise border systems, upgrade infrastructure along trade corridors and operationalise the Zimbabwe Electronic Single Window platform in order to reduce the cost of doing business and improve efficiency.”
The President said Zimbabwe is positioning itself strategically under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework, adding that “we are leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area to integrate our enterprises, especially small and medium-sized businesses, into regional and global value chains, ensuring that youth, women, cooperatives and rural producers actively participate in export development.”
He concluded by underscoring long-term ambitions for competitiveness, stating that “our ambition is to build a diversified, competitive and innovation-driven export economy anchored on digital trade and strong ‘Made in Zimbabwe’ products that can confidently compete in regional and international markets.”
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