Rwanda's Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva is attending the 25th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in Harare, Zimbabwe, representing President Paul Kagame. The gathering on October 22 brings together leaders from across the regional bloc to discuss trade, industrialisation and investment priorities. Held under the theme "One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration in COMESA," the summit will review progress on regional integration and set the bloc's direction for the coming years.
A central focus is the launch of the COMESA Medium-Term Strategic Plan for 2026 to 2030. The plan prioritises regional trade, industrialisation, infrastructure connectivity, digital transformation and improved citizen welfare. It also seeks to strengthen regional value chains in agriculture, manufacturing and critical minerals, with an emphasis on promoting local processing and increasing the value of the region's natural resources. Other priorities include digital trade systems to support young people, women and small businesses, as well as agro-processing industrial parks and climate-resilient agriculture to strengthen food security.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa is taking over the COMESA chairmanship from Kenyan President William Ruto. In his acceptance remarks, Mnangagwa stressed that "integration is only a success when it benefits the ordinary citizen." He called for better connections between regional markets, action to remove transport bottlenecks and long-term financing for roads and railways. He also emphasised the need for more local processing of natural resources.
The summit follows preparatory meetings held from October 19 to 21, including the COMESA Green Industry Connect exhibition, the 19th COMESA Business Forum and a meeting of foreign ministers. At their October 21 meeting, foreign ministers called for stronger regional cooperation on peace and security, warning that conflict, terrorism and climate-related insecurity threaten trade and economic growth. Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi highlighted COMESA's progress in free trade and regional connectivity, noting that Kenya's exports to COMESA member states exceeded $2.2 billion in 2024.
Kenyan President William Ruto, whose chairmanship is ending, said the summit would focus on deeper regional integration, peace and security, industrialisation and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area. He called for greater value addition through local processing of Africa's natural resources. COMESA has 21 member states, and its main objective is to promote economic integration through trade, investment and regional cooperation.
The Harare summit is expected to set the bloc's priorities for 2026 to 2030, with official outcomes and a final communiqué to follow. For Rwanda's savers, borrowers, businesses and investors, this strategic plan could open new opportunities for regional trade, industrial development and cross-border value chains, depending on how the commitments are implemented.