Category: Latest News

50 Million African Women Speak platform launched in Eswatini

Eswatini became the fifth COMESA Member State to launch the 50 Million African Women Speak (50MAWSP) platform on Thursday 15 October. The platform was unveiled in Mbabane, Eswatini at a colourful ceremony presided over by the Deputy Prime Minister Honourable Senator Themba Masuku. The national launch of the platform kept in tradition with previous launches…
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New Rwanda and British Ambassadors Accredited to COMESA

Lusaka, Thursday, October 15, 2020: Ambassador of Rwanda to Zambia Mr. Amandin Rugira and the British High Commissioner to Zambia Mr. Nicholas Woolley have been accredited to COMESA as Permanent Representative and Special Representative respectively. The two presented their letters of credence to COMESA Secretary General Chileshe Kapwepwe on Thursday 15 October 2020 at the…
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Include Post-Covid Recovery in Regional Work Programme – Heads of Customs

Heads of Customs from the COMESA region have  agreed on prioritizing Post -Covid-19 recovery in the 2021-2023 Customs and Trade Facilitation Work Programme. In a virtual meeting conducted last week, 14 October 2020, the officials said this will enable the identification and prioritization of activities that will enhance post COVID-19 recovery for Member States. According…
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Regional Research Forum to Unveil Interface Between Intra-COMESA Trade and the Continental FTA

The 7th COMESA Annual Research Forum will take place from 19 – 21 October 2020 and this year, the focus is how intra-COMESA Trade can be harnessed through interface with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA). The virtual event which is being funded by COMESA, the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS)…
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Madagascar Launches 50 Million African Women Speak Platform

The 50 Million African Women Speak (50MAWSP) platform was unveiled Friday 9 October in Antananarivo, Madagascar making the country the fourth COMESA Member State to launch the digital networking platform. The national launch of the platform was presided over by the Minister for Population, Social Protection and Advancement of Women, Hon. Michelle Bavy Angelica at…
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COVID 19 has Triggered Growth in Zambia’s Leather Industry

The negative socio-economic impact of COVID-19 has not spared the leather industry in Zambia as the industry is feeling the pinch of the pandemic due to massive disruptions in the way business is done. Several small and medium entrepreneurs in the sector have folded altogether, while some have joined forces to stay afloat. Industry players…
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COMESA Regional Economy Poised to Shrink by 0.6% in 2020

A report from the Fifth Trade and Trade Facilitation Sub-Committee meeting of COMESA which was held virtually has indicated that the region’s average growth slowed down in 2019 to 5.2% from 6.0% in 2018 and is projected to decrease to 0.6% in 2020. The slowdown in growth was experienced in most COMESA member countries except…
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Notable Rise in Trade Barriers as Countries Responded to Covid-19

There has been a notable increase in the number of Non-Tariff Barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic period as countries increasingly took discretionary measures to contain the spread of the virus. COMESA Director of trade Dr Chris Onyango told delegates attending the fifth Meeting of the COMESA Trade and Trade Facilitation Sub-Committee last week, 6-8 October…
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CBC to Engage Regional Financial Services Regulators Towards Harmonization of Policies for an Integrated Digital Common Payment Scheme for MSMEs

Monday, 12th October 2020, Lusaka – “Among the challenges impacting industry competitiveness, is the lack of an affordable and effective platform which accommodates digital cross-border payments by SMEs. In an effort to address this challenge, CBC’s Digital Financial Inclusion program, piloted in 9 countries (Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia), is…
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Member States Hold the Key to the Operation of the COMESA Information Sharing Portal

Seven countries: Burundi, Rwanda, Comoros, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mauritius and Madagascar have nominated officers that will serve as the focal persons in operationalizing the newly developed COMESA Information Sharing Portal. The portal is a resource page for real time exchange of information on regional supply and demand of essential goods manufactured in the region. Developed to…
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