The 24th COMESA Summit in Nairobi marks the handover of chairmanship from Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye to Kenya’s President William Ruto, with Zimbabwe assuming the vice-chair role for the 2026-2027 term.

  • Your Excellency Dr. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Chairperson of COMESA Authority.
  • Your Excellency Mr. Évariste Ndayishimiye, President of the Republic of Burundi, outgoing Chairperson and Rapporteur of the COMESA Authority.
  • Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government; Your Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; President of the African Development Bank, His Excellency Dr. [name unclear]; the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, His Excellency Ambassador [name unclear]; the Secretary General of COMESA, His Excellency Ambassador [name unclear]; Excellency Madame [name unclear], the Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area, His Excellency [name unclear].
  • The many distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
  • Allow me at the outset to extend my profound gratitude to the President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency my dear brother William Ruto, as well as the government and people of Kenya for the warm hospitality extended to me and my delegation since our arrival in the beautiful city of Nairobi.
  • Your Excellency, we commend the excellent arrangements made for the hosting of this summit and the able manner in which you are steering our deliberations.
  • By the same token we congratulate His Excellency Mr. Évariste Ndayishimiye, the outgoing Chairperson of the COMESA Authority for his astute leadership over the past year in driving our regional integration agenda.
  • It marks an important milestone in Zimbabwe’s participation in the affairs of the community.
  • Zimbabwe is committed to the ideals of trade liberalization and self-reliance.
  • This organization, COMESA, continues to be a relevant and a vital platform for multifaceted cooperation, the pooling of resources, harmonization of policies and promotion of intra-regional trade and investment.
  • Zimbabwe acknowledges the tangible benefits derived from COMESA membership.
  • Our businesses continue to access a wider regional market while thousands of small-scale traders, especially women and youth, benefit from simplified trade regimes that ease cross-border commerce.
  • COMESA support has seen stronger value chains, accelerated industrialization, and improved infrastructure connectivity.
  • To fully unlock COMESA’s potential, non-tariff barriers, infrastructure gaps, and policy misalignments must be addressed.
  • There is need to redouble our efforts as we implement more key initiatives such as the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area and African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA.
  • Your Excellencies, Zimbabwe is on a journey of economic transformation and modernization.
  • My government is implementing comprehensive reforms to improve the business environment in our country, enhance employment, productivity, and attract investment.
  • Industrialization, digital transformation, and climate-resilient agriculture are among our top priority areas, all of which align with COMESA’s medium-term strategic plan.
  • We also reaffirm our commitment to peace, security, and good governance, which are essential ingredients for sustainable development and regional integration.
  • Zimbabwe stands ready to work with fellow member states in promoting stability and consolidating democratic institutions, as well as addressing transnational threats that undermine the collective peace, progress, and prosperity of our respective peoples.
  • Your Excellencies, undoubtedly our continent is at a historic and defining crossroads.
  • The aspirations of Agenda 2063, and I quote, “the Africa we want,” end of quote, are achievable.
  • We all have a duty to harness our collective strengths and leverage the opportunities before us to propel COMESA to new heights.
  • Together, let us deliver on the promise of a better future for our people and our mother continent, Africa.
  • I thank you.

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