“We can leverage Mauritius-India relationship to strengthen Zimbabwe-India ties”

Josephine Takundwa,President of Zimbabwe National Chamber ofCommerce (ZNCC)

Zimbabwe is seeking to reduce its dependence on raw commodity exports by investing in value addition, manufacturing and agro-processing. This ambition was among the themes discussed at the Mauritius–Zimbabwe Business Forum, held in Mauritius in August at the initiative of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) and the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI). The forum featured presentations by the MCCI, Zimbabwe’s Ministry
of Industry and Commerce, the Economic Development Board (EDB) and Mauritius’ Ministry of Financial Services and Economic Planning, examining trade, investment and regional opportunities. For ZNCC President Josephine Takundwa, Zimbabwe is on a “very deliberate path” to extract greater economic value from its natural resources, particularly lithium and platinum, while developing its agricultural and industrial sectors. In this interview, she explains why Mauritius could serve not only as a trading partner but also as a gateway to India, Asia and wider African investment, supporting Zimbabwe’s efforts to move up the value chain and gain access to international markets.

Zimbabwe has traditionally depended heavily on commodities, particularly on minerals and tobacco, for export earnings. How central is export diversification to your external trade strategy today?

Like for any other economy, export diversification is key, especially, in expanding regional trade. And, for Zimbabwe, we are actually now on a very deliberate path into value addition and mineral beneficiation so that we can actually realise greater value out of what resources we have as a country.

So, basically, we are moving from the commodity trading perspective towards value-added trading.

Can you give us an example of what you mean by value-added trading?

I will give you a key example: something which is happening on the ground right now, and this is, with regards to lithium, the mineral itself. The very lithium that is used in the batteries for mobile phones and for renewable energy.

So, Zimbabwe has got the second largest deposits of lithium in the world. In prior years, we were exporting just raw concentrates of the lithium. But recently a law was passed to say that, we will no longer export raw commodity lithium as it must be value-added and processed first.

In that sense, Zimbabwe received a USD 400 million investment to start processing lithium into lithium sulphate which is just one step away from the actual lithium that goes into batteries. So, this is one area where we have made significant strides towards value addition.

Given the amount of lithium that we have in Zimbabwe, there is definitely room for more investment in the lithium industry.

Is Zimbabwe’s objective simply to export more, or is there a strategy fundamentally about changing the composition of exports from raw commodities towards higher-value manufactured product?

Yes, let me also add in the same direction, platinum as well. We are also moving into value addition in platinum. So, we want to reduce as much as possible just the export of raw materials. We want to process it first and then we export. For the obvious reason, of course, that it will contribute much more to our economy.

Zimbabwe is simultaneously part of SADC,COMESA and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). How do you intend to use these overlapping trade frameworks to expand the country’s export footprint across Africa?

To start with, I think it is a matter of looking at each of the three different agreements and blocs, and then take the best that each one has to offer and then probably work with that.

I am sure you are aware that the AfCFTA is working towards a single market for Africa. So, if you are looking at a single market for Africa, it then means all these other SADC, COMESA, ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and all other blocs, they will need to then integrate and probably fall under AfCFTA and then we move forward with a single market.

So, based on the AfCFTA, this potentially gives Zimbabwean companies access to a continental market of more than a billion consumers.

What is preventing Zimbabwean businesses from exploiting that opportunity more aggressively?

I will say the challenges that Zimbabwe is facing are very much the same as the challenges that every other African country is facing. And, the main one being logistics. You know, right now, it is easier for Zimbabwe to send its macadamia nuts to China than to send those same nuts to Mauritius or to Ethiopia. So, the issue of logistics, that is definitely the key challenge.

On the other hand, there needs to be some final and finer dialogue around the tariffs that will then be levied amongst the countries. It concerns trade, the classification of goods and standards as well, because standards are not yet quite clear as well on some of the products.

But I will say that the major challenge is that of logistics particularly because Zimbabwe is landlocked. We have access to Durban and Beira, but logistics remains a major concern.

Zimbabwe has spoken increasingly about exploring non-traditional export markets. Beyond Southern Africa, which regions or countries are now priorities in your external trade strategy? Is it the Middle East, Asia, Europe or elsewhere?

Currently, Zimbabwe is servicing markets in Europe and Asia, with particularly quite some good discussions with countries like China. And well, these are the traditional markets that companies and people naturally seek to enter. But, let me say that, what should be of importance right now, is the regional markets.

So let us push for the trade in the regional markets and then we move outwards.

How important is economic diplomacy to that strategy? I mean, are Zimbabwean embassies now expected to operate almost as commercial platforms in identifying buyers, investors and opportunities for Zimbabwe?

Let me say that, economic diplomacy is quite key. And, it is important to have international trade falling especially under the auspices of government in a country. And, to that extent, that is when you need the foreign economic diplomacy coming through.

So, it is important to leverage on economic diplomacy, especially if it can be done through government agencies.

Where does Mauritius fit into the Zimbabwean strategy?

There is a good fit between Zimbabwe and Mauritius.

We have two options, the route by air which must be explored to see if it is possible to have air freight. And then, obviously through Beira or the other seaports where we can have our logistics going through those ports.

So, definitely for business between Zimbabwe and Mauritius, the logistics should not be a problem at all.

For a landlocked country like Zimbabwe, logistics can significantly affect export competitiveness. How important are regional corridors, particularly access through Mozambique and the Indian Ocean, to Zimbabwe’s trade strategy? The Beira Corridor, for example, remains a strategically important route connecting Zimbabwean exporters to international shipping.

Yes, those are absolutely important. We are lucky that the Beira Corridor is very accessible. It is not far. We also have access to the port of Namibia that we
can make use of, and then we also have the port of Durban as well. So, there are three ports essentially that can service Zimbabwe. Given this set of facts, we should be able to make trade logistics so much easier.

Mauritius has extensive financial investment and business links with India, Asia and Africa. Could Zimbabwe use Mauritius more deliberately as a platform for attracting foreign investment into Zimbabwean industries and structuring cross-border African investment?

Yes. We are always looking for opportunities that can leverage trade between Zimbabwe and Mauritius, as well as with other countries, including India.

So, it is a possibility that we can leverage on Mauritius-India relationship to strengthen the Zimbabwe-India relationship. That is something that we are open to.

What is Zimbabwe ultimately trying to become within African trade – a principal supplier of commodities, a regional manufacturing base, an agro-processing hub or an integrated export economy capable of competing globally?

Zimbabwe was once known as being the breadbasket of Africa in terms of agricultural production. So, definitely, being an agro-processing hub is one of the things that we would like to be. But we would also want to be a major player in the
manufacturing sector that can distribute across the continent. So, the aspect of commodities is out. We definitely need to look beyond the commodities.

You mentioned in your opening speech that Mauritius is a natural partner and we are discussing joint ventures, technology transfer and investment facilitation. Can you give us some examples of initiatives that have already materialised with the Mauritian government?

I do know that there are ongoing dialogues, especially because there was a delegation from Mauritius that came to Zimbabwe in February 2026 and they had interactions with Zimbabwean industry.

There were some partnerships and synergies that were established at that time, and I understand these are being pursued even right now.

You also said that Zimbabwe is open for business. What is Zimbabwe offering Mauritian businesses?

We are inviting Mauritian businesses to come and invest in Zimbabwe as the opportunities in mining and especially in agriculture are very good.

So, our offering to Mauritian businesses is: come and let us partner around the resources that Zimbabwe has, with particular mention, of course, to lithium.