PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has pledged to push value addition, mineral beneficiation and industrialisation across the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) during Zimbabwe's chairmanship of the regional bloc.

Mnangagwa said African countries must move away from exporting raw materials and instead process their natural resources locally to create jobs, boost industrial development and improve livelihoods.

Addressing the COMESA summit in Harare on Thursday after accepting the chairmanship, Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe would prioritise initiatives aimed at strengthening regional value chains and expanding economic opportunities.

He said Zimbabwe's experience with policies requiring local processing of resources had demonstrated the economic benefits of beneficiation.

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"Undoubtedly, the God-given natural resources of Africa are important to spur development and the realisation of sustainable prosperity.

"In the case of Zimbabwe, lessons from our policy decision that demand all resources to be locally processed have seen a manifold increase in the value of our minerals," Mnangagwa said.

Mnangagwa said the region should use its natural resources to drive industrialisation rather than continue exporting commodities with limited processing.

"The message to the region is that the natural endowments of Africa must industrialise our economies, create jobs and broad-based empowerment which improve the quality of lives of our peoples," he said.

Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe would also champion agro-processing, the establishment of cross-border agricultural and industrial parks, harmonisation of supply chains and climate-proofing of agriculture.

Climate change mitigation and the green agenda would also be central to efforts to safeguard food security and sovereignty across the region.

Mnangagwa called on COMESA member states to support the people-centred economic development agenda during Zimbabwe's tenure at the helm of the bloc.

The chairmanship comes as African countries seek to strengthen intra-regional trade, reduce dependence on imported manufactured goods and improve their participation in global value chains.

COMESA, which brings together 21 member states, is one of the continent's key regional economic communities, with a mandate to promote trade and economic integration among its members.