STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION AND NATION BRANDING: MEDIA INSTRUMENTALITY IN PROJECTING ZIMBABWE’S REGIONAL LEADERSHIP DURING THE COMESA CHAIRMANSHIP, 2026–2027

Abstract

This article analyses media instrumentality and strategic communication as primary mechanisms for projecting Zimbabwe’s regional leadership during its 2026–2027 chairmanship of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). The 25th COMESA Summit in Harare directly intersects with the national implementation of the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and Vision 2030. Drawing on agenda-setting, framing, and public diplomacy theories, this article utilises a qualitative case study design. It compares Kenya’s 2024–2025 and Rwanda’s 2017–2018 COMESA chairmanships to argue that the media serves as a vital instrument of economic diplomacy. The findings reveal that without a coordinated nation-branding strategy, high summit visibility does not automatically yield foreign direct investment or enhanced trade. Evidence from Kenya and Rwanda shows that institutional bonds among the executive, investment promotion agencies, and the media are the critical differentiator in socio-economic outcomes. Consequently, this paper introduces a four-phase Strategic Communication Framework aligned with NDS2 and offers six targeted policy recommendations. It concludes that for Zimbabwe to leverage its chairmanship effectively, the media must be institutionalized as a core pillar of the foreign policy architecture.