Category: Latest News

COVID-19 in COMESA: Situational Update 14

Three countries in COMESA namely Eritrea, Mauritius and Seychelles have not recorded any new COVID-19 cases in more than a week. They have also recorded full recoveries of the initial cases and currently have no active cases. Two of them, Eritrea and Seychelles have not recorded any COVID-19 related deaths. COVID-19 Situational Update 14

Plans Underway to Assess the Impact of Data Collection on Consumer Price Indices

Lusaka, May 18, 2020: COMESA Secretariat has embarked on the assessment of the impact of the outbreak of COVID-19 on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data collection. This follows a disruption of  the surveys on CPI, which require interactive and wide coverage methods to collect data. The slowdown has been occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic…
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Region Adopts Common Guidelines for Safe Trade During Covid-19

Lusaka, May, 15, 2020:Ministers responsible for commerce, trade and industry in the COMESA region have agreed on a set of guidelines, which are expected to play a key role in facilitating coordination and uniform application of measures across the borders while ensuring public safety and safe trade. The decision was made during the 8th Extraordinary…
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Measures that Member States have put in Place in Response to COVID-19

Get the consolidated list of preventive and trade facilitation measures that COMESA Member States have put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic Measures in COMESA Member States in Response to COVID-19

COVID-19 in COMESA: Situational Update No. 13

Countries in the region have intensified mass testing which has contributed to the confirmation of more new cases. On a positive note, the number of recoveries has also been rising steadily. As mass testing is intensified, it is expected that the number of confirmed cases in the region will continue to rise. The assumption is…
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COMESA States Want a Socioeconomic Study on the Impact on COVID-19

Lusaka, May 12, 2020: COMESA Member States have asked the Secretariat to conduct a socioeconomic study on the effects of the Coronavirus to inform ongoing COVID-19 containment measures and recovery strategies. The request was made by Permanent/ Principal Secretaries (PSs) from ministries that coordinate COMESA regional integration programmes during the COMESA Intergovernmental Committee meeting conducted…
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COVID-19 a Setback to Intra-Regional Trade, but fiscal policies will play a leading role in mitigating the shock

Due to its openness to international trade and migration, COMESA region should brace for the adverse effects of COVID-19, which are both exogenous and endogenous, according to a report by the COMESA Monetary Institute. According to the report prepared by the Director of the COMESA Monetary Institute (CMI) Mr. Ibrahim Zeidy, the exogenous effects arise…
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Climate Change: Virtual Training of Experts on the Paris Agreement

Lusaka, May 9, 2020: COMESA countries will this week participate in a three-day virtual training on the implementation of the Paris Agreement. This initiative is part of capacity building support to Parties and a joint effort between the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the COMESA Secretariat. The training will focus on…
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COMESA Agency Strikes-off 12 Anti-Competition Trade Agreements

More than 12 trade agreements which have been operational in the Common Market for several years have been assessed and some banned for being anti-competition. The action was taken by the COMESA Competition Commission (CCC) after assessing the agreements in place up to 2019. The banned Agreements were found to have the potential to bar…
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COMESA Staff Supports Zambia’s Efforts on COVID-19

Lusaka, Thursday, May 7, 2020: COMESA Secretariat Staff presented assorted sanitation and protective materials worth $20,000 last week towards supporting efforts of the government of Zambia in its response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Funds to procure the items were raised by the COMESA Secretariat staff as a Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative. They included 15,000 facial…
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