Category: Latest News

€100,000 worth of equipment to facilitate border trade fish trade commissioned in Zambia

COMESA has commissioned EUR 100,000 worth of equipment under its Green Pass (GP) Certification Scheme in Luangwa District of Zambia, to facilitate small-scale cross border trade in fish. The procurement of the equipment was funded under the 11 European Development Fund (EDF) Small Scale Cross Border Trade Initiative (SSCBTI) Programme. The equipment was commissioned on…
Read more

File/ Customs meeting

Call to restart the regional customs programme

There is fresh attempt to revitalize the COMESA Customs Union agenda, which will result in the full realization of the Common Market. The COMESA economic integration timetable envisaged the attainment of the Customs Union by 2004, but this has since faced headwinds that has stalled the programme. As a result, COMESA Secretariat has called for…
Read more

Steps to shield the youth from the pandemic sting

COMESA countries have come together to deliberate on ways to cushion the youth in the region from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 in the region. Subsequently, a two-day experience-sharing meeting and mitigation was conducted on 28 -29 September 2021. In attendance were young people, youth experts from governments led by Permanent Secretaries, and representatives…
Read more

Yellow Card Council of Bureaux edges closer to full autonomy

The Yellow Card Council of Bureaux is set for full autonomy following the approval of the relevant legal instruments, by the Ministers of Justice and Attorneys General from COMESA Member States. In their 10th meeting conducted virtually on 29 September 2021, the Ministers and AGs approved the Charter of the Bureaux, Staff and Procurement Rules.…
Read more

Trade experts meet to speed-up negotiations on market access

Trade experts from Member States concluded a three-day virtual meeting, Thursday 30 September2021, which reviewed progress on the liberalization of trade in services for enhanced market access under the COMESA Free Trade Area. The meeting was the 10th for the COMESA Trade in Services Committee. It received updates from Members States on the progress they…
Read more

Zambian student invents a medicine dispenser

One of the challenges people face in developing countries is access to health facilities owing to long distances. Overcrowding by patients seeking medical assistance in the available health facilities is quite prevalent, while in some far-flung rural areas, people barely have access to health personnel. This is what inspired Billy Munyenyembe, a final year student…
Read more

Handling of small-scale cross border traders among key topics at border staff  training

COMESA has trained its Trade Information Desk Officers (TIDOs) that serve in selected borders in the region, on how to implement the Simplified Trade Regime and ensure the minimum standards for the treatment of small- scale cross border traders are upheld. The training was conducted on 23 September 2021 as part of capacity building for…
Read more

States urged to strengthen value chains for post Covid-19 economic recovery

Regional states should strengthen existing value chains both at the regional and global level and develop new ones to unlock the transformative potential in manufacturing and industrial sectors in COMESA. This will enable the region to fully participate in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) while keeping pace with changing production and consumption patterns…
Read more

Sokokuu online trading platform launched

The COMFWB, Ae Trade initiative aims at promoting online trade for women entrepreneurs The COMESA Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB) in collaboration with the African e-Trade Group (Ae-Trade) have launched an online Platform Sokokuu to traders in the COMESA region. The platform will enable traders to conduct cross border trade using ICT as a…
Read more

Youths Elected to the COMESA Youth Advisory Panel

Eleven youths from the region have been elected to the COMESA Youth Advisory Panel (COMYAP). The roles and responsibilities of the panel is to, among others, provide the COMESA Council of Ministers with direct and well-informed advice on matters relating to young people through recommendations contained in the COMYAP bi-annual reports. Representatives of the COMESA…
Read more