Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) from eleven COMESA Institutions joined by the Executive Management of COMESA Secretariat held their 2nd Annual Retreat on Tuesday 18 April 2023 in Lusaka where they jointly took stock of the successes achieved as a collective across the Common Market.
The CEOs noted that it was important to look out for opportunities in the Member States, region and continent and provide a stronger, larger and well-resourced front for the Secretariat and its institutions.
Speaking in her address to open the retreat, Secretary General Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe emphasized the need to remain united and engage strategic partners using one large COMESA voice and not to work in silos.
On another hand, she said the event would help the CEOs identify gaps that exist in the region as the economies are growing and therefore there are increasing demands from citizens.
“Our new working environment is therefore dynamic due to the technologies and innovations. Further, the international financial and geopolitical architecture is fast evolving, requiring COMESA to be alert and responsive,” Ms Kapwepwe said.
She highlighted the existing and emerging threats such as the cost of energy, food insecurity and climate change as existential threats which all call for increased coordination and collaboration.
Madam Kapwepwe was quick to point out that there are low levels of visibility of COMESA programmes in the Members States owing to the fact that the institutions have been working in silos and has since called on the secretariat to come up with a joint Communication and visibility plan.
“We need to come up with a visibility plan that shall allow us to jointly embark on visibility campaigns that will encompass your institutions as well as the COMESA secretariat activities,” she said.
The retreat was attended by new CEOs from the COMESA Monetary Institute, COMESA Clearing House, COMESA Competition Commission, COMESA Business Council, the Trade and Development Bank and the African Trade Insurance Agency.
Other CEOs presents were from the African Leather and Leather products Institute, COMESA Court of Justice, the PTA Re-insurance Company (ZEPRE), the COMESA Federation of Women in Business, the Regional Association of Energy Regulators for Eastern and Southern Africa and the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa.