KEY POINTS
- Zimbabwe suspends all tariffs on US imports days after Washington imposed 18% duties on Zimbabwean goods, in a surprise move announced by President Mnangagwa.
- Critics label the decision a political gambit to ease US sanctions, noting it contradicts Zimbabwe’s regional trade commitments and risks alienating key partners like China.
- The policy shift comes amid Zimbabwe’s ongoing economic crisis, with bilateral trade remaining modest at $111.6 million annually.
In a dramatic shift in trade policy, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced Saturday the immediate suspension of all tariffs on American imports, just days after the United States imposed 18% tariffs on Zimbabwean goods.
The surprise move comes as Harare seeks to recalibrate its economic relationships amid ongoing tensions with Western nations.
“I will direct the Zimbabwean government to implement a suspension of all tariffs levied on goods originating from the United States,” Mnangagwa declared in a social media post. The president framed the decision as mutually beneficial, claiming it would “facilitate the expansion of American imports within the Zimbabwean market, while simultaneously promoting the growth of Zimbabwean exports destined for the United States.”
Trade between the two nations remains modest, totaling just $111.6 million in 2024, with Zimbabwe primarily exporting tobacco and sugar to the US.
According to The Punch, the relationship has been strained since the early 2000s when Washington imposed sanctions against former President Robert Mugabe’s government over human rights abuses and electoral fraud.
Critics slam move as “knee-jerk reaction” to US pressure
The unexpected tariff suspension has drawn sharp criticism from analysts and opposition figures who view it as a desperate bid to appease the Trump administration. Prominent journalist Hopewell Chin’ono dismissed the policy shift as “a knee-jerk reaction” that “contradicts the principles of regional economic cooperation” with Zimbabwe’s key partners in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
“Does Zimbabwe even export enough to the US to justify trying to appease Trump’s administration in this way?” Chin’ono questioned on social media. The criticism highlights Zimbabwe’s delicate balancing act between its traditional allies like China and the UAE – which account for most of its trade – and its fraught relationship with Western nations.
The tariff decision follows Washington’s 2024 replacement of broad Zimbabwe sanctions with targeted measures against Mnangagwa and other officials accused of corruption and rights violations. At the time, Mnangagwa condemned these as “illegal and unjustified,” making Saturday’s conciliatory move particularly striking.
