By Kudzaishe Chimonera
Zimbabwe must build investor confidence and open its markets if it is to accelerate industrialisation and fully benefit from regional trade agreements, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Professor Amon Murwira has said.
Speaking during a high-level panel discussion at the Zimbabwe Industrialisation Conference and Expo 2026 in Harare, Murwira said the country’s foreign policy and trade strategy was centred on attracting investment by creating a stable and business-friendly environment.
He said investors were more likely to commit capital where there was confidence in the economy and institutions.
“Nobody comes to a country where people are even afraid of doing things that they must do. So we believe that through these policies that we have been talking about, Minister of Finance, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Mines, we are attracting exogenous industrialisation because we are ready to do endogenous industrialisation,” he said.
Murwira said Zimbabwe must first demonstrate confidence in its own economy by investing in local industries.
“When we invest in ourselves, we create confidence that attracts big capital,” Murwira said.
The minister also stressed the importance of opening Zimbabwe’s market to maximise opportunities presented by regional economic blocs, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the SADC Free Trade Area and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
“If we want AFCTA to work, if we want SADC Free Trade Pact to work, if we want COMESA to work, it means Zimbabwe must open its market itself. Because you can’t expect other people to open markets for you when you are closing yours,” Murwira said.
He said Government was reviewing tariff and non-tariff barriers to improve the competitiveness of Zimbabwean industries and expand access to export markets.
“The Minister of Finance, to this extent, is in the process of simplifying tariff and non-tariff rules. Very busy in this country. This will sharpen our industries to export,” Murwira said.
Murwira said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade was working closely with other Government ministries and the private sector to identify new export destinations and strengthen the country’s trade links.
“We work very closely to make sure that we find our export markets and sharpen our domestic environment in such a way that those export markets can be accessed,” he said.
He described diplomacy as a critical enabler of economic growth, saying foreign policy creates the conditions necessary for trade and investment to flourish.
“All these things which are happening in the foreign lands cannot happen without foreign affairs. So foreign affairs is just a road upon which the vehicles will move. And these vehicles are trade vehicles,” he said.
The Zimbabwe Industrialisation Conference and Expo brought together government officials, business leaders and industry experts to discuss strategies for boosting manufacturing, expanding exports and accelerating the country’s industrial transformation.
