Mnangagwa Takes Over COMESA Chair As Ruto, Hichilema Jet In For 25th Summit At Mt Hampden
HARARE — Zimbabwe is hosting the 25th COMESA Summit of Heads of State and Government Thursday at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden, with leaders focused on deepening intra-Africa trade, expanding industrial output and driving investment.
The summit is being held under the theme “One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration in COMESA.”
President Emmerson Mnangagwa will take over the rotational chairmanship of the 21-member Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa from Kenyan President William Ruto, who arrived in Harare Wednesday evening.
Ruto landed at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport amid rainy weather after presiding over Mashujaa Day celebrations in Eldoret and was received by Tourism Minister Barbara Rwodzi.
He is expected to formally hand over the instruments of power to Mnangagwa.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema arrived Thursday morning for the summit. His presence in Harare carries diplomatic significance after years of frosty relations with Mnangagwa that began to thaw following his state visit in November 2025 when the two leaders co-chaired the inaugural Zambia-Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission.
Hichilema says he is pushing the Grow Zambia Agenda for trade and investment.
Burundi’s Prime Minister Nestor Ntahontuye also arrived Wednesday, while Malawi’s Foreign Affairs Minister George Chaponda is leading his country’s delegation to the ministerial meetings.
Foreign Affairs Minister Professor Amon Murwira said at least 18 member states have confirmed participation, with at least nine leaders from prime minister level upwards expected for the high-level meeting.
More than 1,000 delegates are attending. COMESA has a combined population of over 640 million people and a combined gross domestic product of about 1.2 trillion dollars.
The main summit caps a week of activities that began Oct. 19, including the COMESA Green Industries Connect focusing on sustainable industrialization, a multi-sectoral international exhibition at the Harare International Conference Centre and the 19th COMESA Business Forum.
According to the program, the summit will launch the COMESA Medium-Term Strategic Plan 2026-2030, review progress on regional integration and push for removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers, stronger regional value chains and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Zimbabwe, which last hosted the summit in 2009, will chair the bloc for the 2026-2027 period, with Eswatini as vice-chair and Kenya as rapporteur.