COMESA will host the 13th Annual Research Forum from 14-18 September 2026. The Forum brings together various stakeholders, including policy makers, academia, think tanks and private sector to deliberate on topical issues on trade and regional integration. The Forum is also a capacity building avenue in economic and trade policy research for young researchers. Successful research papers are published in COMESA flagship publication “Key Issues in Regional Integration.”
In this regard, COMESA calls for Extended Abstracts under the theme; “Leveraging Frontier Technologies and Innovation to Advance Regional Integration for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in COMESA” with the following sub-themes.
- Frontier technologies for advancing agricultural productivity, green industrialisation, and climate-resilient value chains in COMESA.
- The role of frontier technologies in facilitating trade in COMESA.
- Frontier technology-led integration through development and harmonization of policy and regulatory frameworks, development of digital skills, and innovation ecosystems in COMESA.
- The role of frontier technologies and innovation in strengthening small, and medium enterprises (SMEs) in COMESA.
- Harnessing data to drive regional integration strategies and decision-making for sustainable and inclusive growth in COMESA.
COMESA invites researchers to submit Extended Abstracts under the different sub-themes.The Extended Abstracts will be peer reviewed and successful authors invited to submit draft papers and thereafter final papers. The successful authors will be invited to make presentations at the 13th COMESA Annual Research Forum scheduled for September 2026.
Submission Requirements for Extended Abstracts
The Extended Abstracts should have the following structure:
Abstract Title: Topical issue drawing from the sub-themes in the context of overall theme.
Background: The context of the research flagging underlining issues that necessitate investigation, existing gaps of knowledge that the research paper attempts to fill, stating clearly the problem statement /issue being investigated.
Objective(s): The general and specific objectives of the paper or the Research questions that the paper seeks to answer.
Methodology: A description of the proposed methodology (quantitative or qualitative) including econometric and/or survey tools where applicable, estimation technique, data type and sources.
Submission
Extended Abstracts should be submitted in word electronic form to Dr Christopher Onyango with copies to Ms. Jane Kibiru and Machangani Chongola.
Submission Deadline: 10 March 2026