Category: Latest News

RISM Programme Sensitizes over 600 Congolese Stakeholders on the COMESA Rules of Origin

Over 600 stakeholders comprising of border officials and local economic operators from the Democratic Republic of Congo have completed trade related skills training designed to enhance better understanding of the potential opportunities that the COMESA market offers. The training was provided under the COMESA Regional Integration Support Mechanism (RISM) with funding from the European Union.…
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COVID 19 Preventive Measures Yielding Positive Results

According to the latest COMESA Situational Update, the monthly rate of increase of COVID 19 has been declining due to the preventive and mitigation measures that have been put in place by governments to contain the spread of the pandemic. The latest Situational Update Number 31 compiled by the COMESA Early Warning System (COMWARN) states…
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COVID- 19: Region Begins Gradual Re-opening of Learning Institutions

September 21, 2020: Lower and higher institutions of learning are opening up for educational activities in the COMESA region as the bloc begins to ease COVID-19 restrictions. So far, schools in Egypt, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been opening from the month of August, September and some are set October. Governments…
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International Chamber of Commerce Signs Business Pact with COMESA

The COMESA Business Council (CBC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to strengthen business partnerships for its members in regional and international markets. The event took place during the ICC/World Chambers Federation Action Network Meeting on 9 November 2020. Over 70 business leaders representing business associations from Africa…
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Tripartite Ministerial Committee Endorse Legal Instruments for Transport Facilitation

September, 18, 2020: Cross border road transport laws, regulations, standards and systems are set to be harmonized from Cape to Cairo following the endorsement of two anchor Multilateral Agreements and five Model Laws. The COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Sectoral Ministerial Committee on Legal Affairs (TSMCLA) endorsed the Tripartite Draft Legal Instruments on Transport and Transit Facilitation during…
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COMESA’s New Plan for the Next Five Years

Lusaka, September 17, 2020: The COMESA Secretariat has developed a draft Medium-Term Strategic Plan (MTSP) covering 2021- 2025 which is geared to support structural transformation of the region and boost overall economic development through trade facilitation and investment promotion. To formulate this new MTSP, the Secretariat used a wide consultative approach with key stakeholders both…
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Trade Experts Discuss Trade Negotiation Modalities in Time of COVID-19

Lusaka, September 16, 2020: Trade experts from the 21 COMESA Member States met today to review progress on trade negotiations between countries and to review progress towards concluding Trade in Services negotiations. The virtual meeting, which was the 8th for the COMESA Technical Working Group on Trade in Services, considered the complexities prevailing during the…
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Energy Infrastructure Development will Unlock the Region’s Vast Potential

September 15, 2020: The power outages being experienced in the Eastern Africa-Southern Africa-Indian Ocean have continued to affect productivity leading to Africa loosing 12.5% of production time compared to 7% for South Asia.  This has been attributed to lack of adequate regional infrastructure in energy. Recent studies have shown that many African countries, some of…
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COMESA Launches Mobile App to Facilitate Operations of the Regional Customs Transit Scheme

The COMESA Regional Customs Transit Guarantee Scheme (RCTG-Carnet) has launched a Mobile Application to provide access to real-time information to clearing and forwarding agents in the region. The Application is accessible on Google Play Store and Apple Store and provides a one-stop shop for the agents in member countries to view current bond balance and…
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FEMCOM Adopts New Name, Appoints New Board

The Federation of Associations of Women in Business in Eastern and Southern Africa (FEMCOM) has changed its name to COMESA Federation of National Associations of Women in Business. This is in line with the correct name which appears in the COMESA Treaty. The new acronym will now be “COMFWB”.   The name change happened during…
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