Trading with the European Union has been enhanced following the ratification of the European Union-Eastern and Southern Africa Interim Economic Partnerships Agreement (EU-ESA iEPA). Zimbabwe is among the five countries including Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles to benefit from the EPAs. In 2020, the European Union has been at the forefront of international trade in terms of both exports and imports as it accounted for about 25.6% of trade in goods and services. The regional block is Africa’s number one trading partner accounting for 28% of Africa’s total trade with the rest of the world and was also the largest source of foreign direct investment, amounting to Euro 242 billion in 2019.

The Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) has partnered with the COMESA Business Council (CBC) and the International Training Centre (ITC) to undertake a three-day workshop that is aimed to provide training to export-ready businesses, particularly micro-small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Zimbabwe. The three-day seminar is scheduled to take place from 8 to 10 May 2023, with admission being free of charge. The training will provide market intelligence to SMEs in Zimbabwe who are exporting and those that are ready to export in the region and beyond. The training is being implemented in Six COMESA Member States, one of which is Zimbabwe.