President Hakainde Hichilema left Harare on Thursday 22 October with a new regional title. At the 25th Summit of COMESA Heads of State and Government, held at Zimbabwe's new Parliament building at Mt Hampden, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa took over the chairmanship of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa from Kenya's William Ruto, and Mr Hichilema was named vice-chairperson of the COMESA bureau, Lusaka Times reports. Rwanda's KT Press, whose prime minister Justin Nsengiyumva represented President Paul Kagame, reports that Mr Mnangagwa congratulated Mr Hichilema on the appointment, and Kenya's Eastleigh Voice adds that Mr Ruto stays on the bureau as rapporteur.
Lusaka Times notes that Mr Ruto had held the chair since 2025; the Eastleigh Voice reports that Mr Mnangagwa's term runs for 2026–2027. The summit's theme was "One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration in COMESA". Lusaka Times reported that the President was expected to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines, but published no outcomes from them.
What the summit adopted
The main business, according to the Eastleigh Voice and KT Press, was the launch of the COMESA Medium-Term Strategic Plan for 2026–2030 alongside the bloc's 2025 annual report. The plan sets a target of raising intra-COMESA trade to 15 per cent of the member states' total trade by 2030, and covers trade, industrialisation, infrastructure, digital transformation and value chains in agriculture, manufacturing and critical minerals.
In his handover remarks, as reported by the Eastleigh Voice, Mr Ruto said the bloc of 21 states, nearly 700 million people and a combined output above US$1 trillion still traded far more with the rest of the world than with itself. He set out five tasks for members: fully implement the COMESA Free Trade Area; adopt the COMESA business visa or ratify the protocol on free movement of persons; connect national payment systems to regional platforms; resolve reported trade barriers; and pay contributions to the bloc in full and on time.
Integration is only a success when it benefits the ordinary citizen.
— Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe and incoming COMESA chairperson, at the summit in Harare on Thursday 22 October, as reported by KT Press
KT Press reports that Mr Mnangagwa called for better transport links, long-term financing for roads and railways, local processing of natural resources and climate-resilient agriculture, and that a final communiqué was expected after the meeting. Thursday's reports do not say when Mr Hichilema returns to Lusaka.
Sources: Lusaka Times, “President Hichilema Assumes Position Of Vice Chairperson For COMESA” (22 Oct 2026); Eastleigh Voice, “Ruto hands over COMESA chairmanship as bloc targets 15 per cent trade by 2030” (22 Oct 2026); KT Press, “PM Nsengiyumva, COMESA Leaders Meet in Zimbabwe to Advance Regional Trade” (22 Oct 2026).