COMESA has joined the region in mourning the passing of H.E. Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, Zambia’s sixth president. In a message of condolences to H.E. Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema, Secretary General Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe expressed profound sadness at the news of the demise of President Lungu on 5 June 2025. “On behalf of the…
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On Wednesday 4 June 2025, the COMESA headquarters in Lusaka hosted a high-level delegation from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat on a benchmarking mission to learn from COMESA’s implementation of the electronic Certificate of Origin (e-CO) system. Speaking during the meeting, Dr Christopher Onyango, Director of Trade and Customs at COMESA described…
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COMESA is making significant strides in transforming the region’s pharmaceutical landscape through a strategic initiative that promises to reshape healthcare access across the 21-member bloc. From 3 to 4 June 2025, COMESA convened a two-day Competence Building and Consultative Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, for creating a sustainable institutional framework for pharmaceutical sector development. This was…
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COMESA has embarked on a new phase of strategic development for its flagship Yellow Card Scheme, with the launch of a regional consultative process aimed at shaping the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan. This initiative marks a key milestone in the continued evolution of the Scheme, which plays a central role in facilitating cross-border vehicle movement and…
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Management and selected staff from COMESA Secretariat held a two-day retreat to finalise the 2026-2030 Medium Term Strategic Plan to replace the current one which has ran its course. Assistant Secretary General for Administration and Finance Dr Dev Haman addressed the team and encouraged all to actively participate and match interventions to needs of Member…
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COMESA and the East African Community (EAC) recently conducted a four-day sensitization workshop in Juba, South Sudan, on aviation safety focusing on enhancing compliance with the Abuja Safety Targets (ASTs), adopted in 2012. The Abuja Declaration on Aviation Safety in Africa addresses key areas like establishing autonomous civil aviation authorities and implementing international safety protocols.…
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COMESA, in collaboration with Rwanda’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM), held a Validation and Sensitization Workshop on 27–28 May 2025 focused on reviewing the draft report of a study assessing the impact of priority non-tariff barriers (NTBs) and trade restrictions in Rwanda, particularly their impact on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Speaking during the…
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The President of Malawi H.E. Dr Lazarus Chakwera has called on the business community and investors from the COMESA region and beyond to take advantage of the current conducive government policies that have paved the way for industrialization as outlined in the Malawi 2063 Vision, together with its 10-year implementation plan (MIP-1). Dr Chakwera stated…
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COMESA with support from the Team Europe Technical Assistance Facility (EU-TAF) has conducted a study to explore options to include selected trade in services to the Simplified Trade Regime (STR). The current regime does not include small scale cross border trade in services. However, the recent past has seen a growing informal activity on cross…
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The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) took part in steps towards enhancing regional and international cooperation by participating in the 3rd EU-AU Ministerial Meeting held on 21 May 2025 at the European Union Headquarters in Brussels. Secretary General Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe represented COMESA alongside African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) Foreign…
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