Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced a suspension of tariffs on goods imported from the United States in a move aimed at improving diplomatic and trade relations with Washington, particularly with President Donald Trump’s administration.
The decision follows a recent imposition of 18% tariffs by the U.S. on Zimbabwean exports, adding fresh strain to the already limited trade relationship between the two nations. In 2024, trade between Zimbabwe and the United States totaled just $111.6 million, according to U.S. government data. American exports to Zimbabwe rose by 10.6% to $43.8 million, while Zimbabwean exports dropped by 41% to $67.8 million.
President Mnangagwa announced the tariff waiver on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating the policy was intended “to facilitate the expansion of American imports within the Zimbabwean market, while simultaneously promoting the growth of Zimbabwean exports destined for the United States.”
Zimbabwe’s relationship with the U.S. has been fraught since the early 2000s, when the government, then led by Robert Mugabe, implemented a controversial land reform programme that led to the forcible seizure of white-owned farms. The U.S. and other Western countries imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe citing human rights abuses, democratic repression, and corruption.
Though the Biden administration lifted broad sanctions in 2024, it introduced new targeted sanctions on 11 individuals, including Mnangagwa, citing continued concerns over human rights and corruption. Mnangagwa has consistently rejected the allegations, calling the sanctions “illegal and unjustified.”
The president framed the tariff suspension as part of a broader effort to “foster amicable relations with all nations and cultivate adversarial relationships with none,” signaling a diplomatic pivot toward re-engagement with global powers.
However, the move has sparked criticism at home. Zimbabwean political analyst Tendai Mbanje told AFP that the decision was unlikely to yield substantial economic gains for Zimbabwe, arguing it primarily benefits the U.S. by increasing its market access. Prominent journalist and government critic Hopewell Chin’ono went further, accusing Mnangagwa of attempting to “appease” the Trump administration in the hope that sanctions on him personally would be lifted—a strategy he described as a “long shot.”
Chin’ono also criticized the president for acting unilaterally while serving as chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), urging a collective regional response to U.S. trade policy instead. “When countries face global economic shifts, coordinated responses offer better leverage and stability,” he said.
Elsewhere in the region, Lesotho—also hit by U.S. tariffs, with rates as high as 50%—has announced plans to send a delegation to the U.S. to negotiate a new trade agreement and explore alternative markets for its exports.
As global trade dynamics shift, Zimbabwe’s latest move underscores both the challenges and complexities facing smaller economies attempting to navigate protectionist policies and strained international relationship.
