Zimbabwe will host the 19th COMESA Business Forum from 19 to 21 October 2026 at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC), convening business leaders, investors, policymakers and industry specialists from across the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and beyond.
The Forum will be staged on the margins of the 25th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit, which is scheduled for 22 October 2026 in Mt Hampden. The week-long programme will open with the COMESA Green Industries Connect on 19 October, followed by a High-Level Policy Dialogue on 20 October, alongside an International Multisectoral Exhibition and parallel side sessions running throughout the three days.
Held under the theme “One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration in COMESA,” the Forum is designed to accelerate intra-regional trade, unlock investment, drive industrial development and support sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
The event is structured around three core pillars. The Green Industries Connect on 19 October will bring together enterprises, financiers, policymakers and circular economy practitioners to identify opportunities within priority green value chains. The High-Level Policy Dialogue on 20 October will convene public and private sector leaders to deliberate on critical trade, investment and industrialisation priorities affecting the region. The International Multisectoral Exhibition, running from 19 to 21 October, will showcase products, services, technologies and innovations from COMESA member states and international partners.
As COMESA’s flagship private sector gathering, the Business Forum offers a direct interface between business and decision-makers, enabling companies to explore new markets and build partnerships that strengthen regional value chains. The previous edition, held in Nairobi in 2025, highlighted the platform’s impact, with its exhibition drawing close to 90 exhibitors from across the region and facilitating business-to-business and business-to-government engagements, product exposure, and cross-border trade linkages.
Zimbabwe’s hosting comes at a time of growing commercial interest in the country. According to ZimTrade, the country’s Gross Domestic Product stood at approximately US$44.188 billion as of 2024. With its strategic location at the heart of Southern Africa, diversified productive sectors, and established industrial base, Zimbabwe offers considerable opportunities for regional and global firms, particularly in agriculture and horticulture, mining, agro-processing, manufacturing, leather and leather products, construction, and other value-added industries. The Forum is expected to position local enterprises to connect with new buyers, investors and partners seeking to expand within the COMESA market.
More than a conventional business meeting, the 19th COMESA Business Forum is intended as a transaction-oriented platform that converts trade and investment prospects into concrete partnerships, market access and commercial outcomes across a regional market of over 600 million people.
Following the Business Forum, the 25th COMESA Summit will be convened in Mt Hampden on 22 October 2026, during which His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa is slated to take over as Chairperson of the regional bloc for the 2026–2027 tenure.
