Zimbabwe plans to cut all taxes on American products entering the country. President Mnangagwa shared this news, saying he wants better trade with President Trump's government. The USA started charging a basic 10% tax on all foreign goods yesterday. Starting Wednesday, American officials planned to charge Zimbabwe an 18% tax on everything we sold them. Our president decided America deserves special treatment because he believes friendly business makes everyone richer.
"We want good relationships with every nation," said the president on social media. He believes removing these taxes helps both sides make money. Americans can sell more things here when taxes disappear. At the same time, he hopes Trump notices our goodwill and keeps buying Zimbabwean products. Last year, we sold $67.8 million worth of stuff to America but only bought $43.8 million from them. That created a $24.1 million trade gap that bothers American officials who want balanced trading.
We mainly export tobacco, valuable minerals, and clothing fabrics to American markets. Most of our imports come from China, South Africa, and European countries because America placed sanctions on us years ago. Other nearby African nations face much higher American taxes—Lesotho pays 50%, Madagascar pays 47%, and South Africa pays 30% on everything they sell. Vietnam received the worst deal with a 90% tax rate but has already started talking with American officials about removing their taxes on US products.
Our government has been working hard to expand business connections around the world recently. Seven years ago, we traded less than $100 million with the United Arab Emirates. Last year, that number jumped near $2 billion—twenty times more! Our total exports reached $7.4 billion in 2024, beating the previous record. Zimbabwe keeps finding new customers for what we produce despite challenges like sanctions from wealthy nations.
These new American taxes might kill a program called AGOA that helps many African countries sell things in America without paying extra costs. That plan expires next September anyway. Zimbabwe never received those benefits because of political disagreements between our governments. President Mnangagwa clearly hopes his generous offer changes how American leaders view us. Removing all taxes on American products shows we want friendship even when others treat us unfairly.
"We want good relationships with every nation," said the president on social media. He believes removing these taxes helps both sides make money. Americans can sell more things here when taxes disappear. At the same time, he hopes Trump notices our goodwill and keeps buying Zimbabwean products. Last year, we sold $67.8 million worth of stuff to America but only bought $43.8 million from them. That created a $24.1 million trade gap that bothers American officials who want balanced trading.
We mainly export tobacco, valuable minerals, and clothing fabrics to American markets. Most of our imports come from China, South Africa, and European countries because America placed sanctions on us years ago. Other nearby African nations face much higher American taxes—Lesotho pays 50%, Madagascar pays 47%, and South Africa pays 30% on everything they sell. Vietnam received the worst deal with a 90% tax rate but has already started talking with American officials about removing their taxes on US products.
Our government has been working hard to expand business connections around the world recently. Seven years ago, we traded less than $100 million with the United Arab Emirates. Last year, that number jumped near $2 billion—twenty times more! Our total exports reached $7.4 billion in 2024, beating the previous record. Zimbabwe keeps finding new customers for what we produce despite challenges like sanctions from wealthy nations.
These new American taxes might kill a program called AGOA that helps many African countries sell things in America without paying extra costs. That plan expires next September anyway. Zimbabwe never received those benefits because of political disagreements between our governments. President Mnangagwa clearly hopes his generous offer changes how American leaders view us. Removing all taxes on American products shows we want friendship even when others treat us unfairly.
