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Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced the suspension of tariffs on US goods after Trump imposed 18% tariffs on the country. The trade between the two countries was $111.6 million in 2024.
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa. (Reuters/File Image)
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced the suspension of tariffs on all US imports as a goodwill gesture towards President Donald Trump and to build a “positive relationship” with the current American government.
The move came after Trump imposed 18% tariffs on Zimbabwean goods coming to the US. “In the spirit of constructing a mutually beneficial and positive relationship with the United States of America, under the leadership of President Trump, I will direct the Zimbabwean government to implement a suspension of all tariffs levied on goods originating from the United States,” Mnangagwa said on X.
The Zimbabwean President said reciprocal tariffs hold merit as a tool for safeguarding domestic employment and industrial sectors, but his government will not maintain an adversarial relationship with any country.
The principle of reciprocal tariffs, as a tool for safeguarding domestic employment and industrial sectors, holds merit. However, the Republic of Zimbabwe maintains a policy of fostering amicable relations with all nations, and cultivating adversarial relationships with none.In…
— President of Zimbabwe (@edmnangagwa) April 5, 2025
“This measure is 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. This action underscores our commitment to a framework of equitable trade and enhanced bilateral cooperation,” he added.
Relations between the US and Zimbabwe had been strained over the decades since former ruler Robert Mugabe’s regime in the early 2000s. Zimbabwe had blamed the US sanctions for a disastrous economic crisis and moved closer to China and the UAE.
The total goods trade between the two countries amounted to only $111.6 million in 2024, according to US government data. Zimbabwe’s limited exports to the US consisted mainly of tobacco and sugar.
Tendai Mbanje, a Zimbabwean political analyst at the Johannesburg-based African Centre for Governance, told AFP that the suspension of tariffs will not yield substantial economic benefits for Zimbabwe but only the United States.
Prominent Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono said the announcement was a “knee-jerk reaction”, suggesting it could be an effort by Mnangagwa to “appease Trump” and get the sanctions removed.
Trump has announced sweeping tariffs on several countries, ranging from 10% to 50% on imports from dozens of countries and economic regions. The European Union will face a 20% tariff, while China is subject to 34% reciprocal tariff and India 26% among others.
More than 50 countries have sought talks with President Donald Trump in a scramble to ease punishing tariffs on exports to the United States, the White House said Sunday, as trade partners braced for further fallout.
(with agency inputs)
