This edition covers news on how cross border traders in the Great Lakes region have come with new methods of procuring merchandise and running their business in the midst of Covid-19. Also covered is the support provided to small scale cross border traders and project teams through supply of preventive and sanitation items to support…
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May 24, 2020: Since the first case of Covid-19 was reported in the Great Lakes region in mid-March 2020, small scale traders have been unable to cross borders as they have traditionally done either to buy or sell goods. The regional supply of primary agricultural commodities, most of which are traded under the Simplified Trade…
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Lusaka, May 24, 2020: Corona-virus preventive measures taken by various Member States including testing, quarantines and restrictions of gatherings along border points have made it almost impossible for cross-border transactions to take place normally. Clearance of cargo has also been tremendously slowed down leading to long queues hindering supply of essential pharmaceuticals and food items.…
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Follow the link for a consolidated list of measures that COMESA Member States have out in place in response to Coivid-19. Measures in COMESA Member States in Response to COVID-19-Vol. 7
Lusaka, May 23, 2020: The Regional Integration Support Mechanism (RISM), which is implemented through the COMESA Adjustment Facility (CAF) is approaching the end of its lifecycle later this year and has begun taking stock of the current and remaining activities. On Thursday, May 21, 2020, countries benefiting from the project participated in a consultative virtual…
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Lusaka, May 22, 2020: COMESA region currently has the lowest electricity generation with approximately 630 million people living without reliable access to electricity and 790 million people forced to rely on solid biomass to cook their food and heat their homes. Studies show that about 1.3 billion people worldwide still lack access to modern energy.…
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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
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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In this edition, we cover the decision of the COMESA Council of Ministers, with the key highlight being the adoption of common regional guidelines to harmonize responses to COVID-19 to facilitate trade across the region. Read more: eCOMESA Newsletter Issue 623
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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