- President William Ruto handed over the COMESA chairmanship to Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa
- Ruto urged member states to increase regional production, investment and trade while demanding equal treatment in international trade partnerships
- The summit also marked the rollout of COMESA’s 2026–2030 strategic plan, which is expected to guide regional integration and economic cooperation
Harry Ivan Mboto is a Current Affairs and Politics Editor at TUKO.co.ke, covering political and world news. Mboto has five years of journalism experience and joined TUKO.co.ke in 2024
President William Ruto has handed over the chairmanship of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, ending Kenya’s year-long leadership of the regional economic bloc.
Source: Facebook
The handover took place during the 25th COMESA Summit in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Thursday, October 22, with Ruto transferring the instruments of leadership to Mnangagwa.
Ruto assumed the chairmanship during the bloc’s 24th summit in Nairobi on October 9, 2025.
In his farewell remarks, the Kenyan president expressed confidence in Mnangagwa’s leadership, urging member states to work together to turn the bloc’s shared ambitions into tangible economic benefits.
“As I hand over the chair, I do so with full confidence in my brother, President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Under his stewardship and with the support of every member state, I trust that we will turn the ambition of one market, one future into progress our people can see and feel,” Ruto said.
He argued that COMESA countries could achieve this vision by increasing production, investment and trade among themselves while engaging the rest of the world on equal terms.
Ruto also called on African countries to negotiate international trade partnerships from a position of equality rather than seeking special treatment.
He added that stronger regional cooperation would advance COMESA’s objectives and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which envisions an integrated, prosperous and peaceful continent.
Mnangagwa outlines priorities for COMESA
In his acceptance speech, Mnangagwa pledged to work with all member states to consolidate the bloc’s achievements and accelerate regional integration.
The summit’s theme, One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration in COMESA, reflected the organisation’s ambition to expand economic opportunities across the region.
Mnangagwa said the bloc needed to harness its resources and investment potential to accelerate industrialisation, modernisation and improvements in citizens’ living standards.
He also emphasised the importance of enabling businesses to increase production, facilitating the cross-border movement of factors of production and helping companies reach new markets.
The Zimbabwean leader urged member states to align their policies and actions with the summit’s theme and COMESA’s founding principles.
COMESA launches new strategic plan
The summit also marked the rollout of the COMESA Medium-Term Strategic Plan (MTSP) for 2026–2030, which will guide the bloc’s priorities over the next five years.
Established to succeed the Preferential Trade Area, COMESA seeks to accelerate economic integration, trade liberalisation and development across Eastern and Southern Africa.
The organisation works to promote trade among member states by addressing tariffs, quotas and non-tariff barriers that restrict the movement of goods and services.
Source: TUKO.co.ke