Category: Latest News

Coming Soon: A Regional Blue Economy Strategy

COMESA has developed a draft strategy to harness the benefits of the Blue Economy for its 21 Member States. The draft strategy was presented to delegates from the Members States on 26-27 April 2022 in Lusaka, Zambia, where it was reviewed and validated. The concept of the Blue Economy has been embraced by the COMESA…
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World Bank Scales-up Funding COMESA Programmes

The current portfolio of World Bank supported projects in the COMESA region is close to five billion dollars and set to rise as other programmes are set to come on board. The largest project is the Regional Infrastructure Finance Facility (RIFF) of US$ 425 million whose objective is to promote access to long-term finance and…
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Burundi Set to Establish Financial Intelligence Unit

Burundi is set to join the global agenda cracking-down financial crimes including money laundering by creating its Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). Towards this goal, COMESA is supporting the country to conform to the international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in line with Burundian needs. Recently, Burundi FIU Board officials comprising of…
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Plans to Develop a Regional Agricultural Commodity Exchange Centre

Plans are underway to establish a regional Agricultural Commodity Exchange Centre as part of the implementation of the 2021-2031 strategy for the Alliance for Commodity Trade in East and Southern Africa (ACTESA). The centre shall link small-scale farmers to national, regional and international markets within the Common Marker for Eastern Africa (COMESA) the East African…
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Joint Approach to Underpin Regional Industrialization

Monday, April 11, 2022: Industry experts from COMESA region are meeting this week to consider a concept paper on strengthening industrial integration in the region. This initiative aims at attaining comprehensive industrial integration taking into account continental programmes such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and ‘Made in Africa’ initiative by the government…
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ECA Reports Shared with Stakeholders in the COMESA University Programme

April 07, 2022: The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and COMESA hosted a virtual workshop with students, staff of two universities that have rolled out the COMESA Masters Programme in Regional Integration to disseminate two ECA reports namely: “Assessing Regional Integration in Africa (ARIA X) focusing on the theme of Services Trade Liberalization and integration…
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Labour Migration Statistics Report Developed

The first COMESA labour migration statistics report is set to be published after undergoing review by stakeholders in March 2022. The report, which is yet to be validated, is aimed at facilitating trade and investment by harnessing the potential of effective migration management in the region. It is a product of collaboration between COMESA, the…
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Common Agro-Industrial Park for Zambia- Zimbabwe is on Course

The governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe with support from COMESA Secretariat, the United Nations Economic for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) are working on modalities to establish a Joint Agro Industrial Park. The proposed project is expected to increase the availability of industrial goods and services for the bilateral market and expand…
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Measures to Improve Transport Corridors’ Performance

The need for increased border operating hours at the regional transport corridors is one of the key recommendations that emerged from a recent meeting of ministers of transport from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Namibia. Also proposed for immediate implementation was the harmonizing of transit fees and cross border charges among the countries…
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Businesswomen Brace for a Stake in AfCFTA Opportunities

Regional businesswomen are building their capacities to enable them to participate in trading opportunities that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) brings forth. Working with the COMESA Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB), national chapters have come up with capacity building initiatives for their members. On 22nd March 2022, the National Chamber of Tunisian…
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