The Fourteenth Meeting of the COMESA Ministers of Infrastructure responsible for Transport, Energy and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was held on 27 June 2025 in Bujumbura, Burundi. The agenda of the meeting focused on examining the progress made in the implementation of previous Council Decisions as well as the implementation of COMESA’s infrastructure programmes and projects in transport, Energy and ICT sectors.
The Ministers noted the progress made in the implementation of COMESA’s programmes and projects and:
- Acknowledged the continued financial and technical support provided by development partners, particularly the World Bank, the European Union and the African Development Bank towards the advancement of COMESA’s infrastructure development agenda;
- Noted the financing, technical assistance and capacity building opportunities available under the following projects financed by the World Bank, and Encouraged Member States to make the best use of them:
i-Accelerating Sustainable Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT) Program;
ii-The Regional Infrastructure Finance Facility (RIFF); and
iii-Inclusive Digitalisation in Eastern and Southern Africa (IDEA).
- Noted the technical assistance and capacity building opportunities available under the following programmes financed by the European Union, and Encouraged Member States to make the best use of them:
i-Support to Air Transport Sector Development (SATSD); and
ii- Enhancement of Governance and Enabling Environment in the ICT Sector (EGEE-ICT).
- Welcomed the support provided by the African Development Bank to the COMESA Secretariat and other COMESA Institutions.
- Commended the contributions of the COMESA Secretariat through implementing programmes and projects in other sisterly Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and non-COMESA Member States, besides their implementation in COMESA Member States.
- Welcomed the commencement of the second phase of the Tripartite Transport and Transit Facilitation Programme (TTTFP), aimed at enhancing the implementation of harmonised road transport policies, regulations and systems across COMESA, EAC and SADC.
- Noted the progress made under the Support to Air Transport Sector Development (SATSD) Programme, particularly in advancing the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), regulatory capacity building, air navigation efficiency and gender mainstreaming in the aviation sector.
- Supported the efforts to revive regional railway systems, welcomed the underway development of a COMESA Rail Transport Master Plan and Encouraged additional investments in rail infrastructure and operational reforms.
- Welcomed the underway development of Road Safety Management Guidelines for the COMESA Region and Encouraged Member States to align their national road safety policies with regional and international frameworks by applying those guidelines.
- Endorsed ongoing efforts to establish and operationalise Corridor Management Institutions (CMIs) and urged Corridor States to finalise and sign requisite corridor agreements.
- Welcomed the rollout of additional One-Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) in the COMESA region and Called For further investments to improve border efficiency, ICT integration and cross-border cooperation.
- Called For continued collaboration with the Maritime Organization for Eastern, Southern and Northern Africa (MOESNA) to enhance maritime integration, including through supporting the establishment of shipping lines in the region.
- Recognised the strategic potential of inland waterways and supported the ongoing VICMED initiative and Lake Tanganyika water transport projects under the RIFF Facility.
- Commended the drive by the Regional Association of Energy Regulators for Eastern and Southern Africa (RAERESA) to strengthen energy regulators and establish regulators in countries where they do not exist.
- Welcomed the construction of power interconnectors to link different parts of the region and open the door for regional and continental power trading.
- Adopted the Model Public Private Partnership Guidelines, the Model Public Partnership Laws and the online based Product Registration System for Off-Grid Solar Products.
- Adopted the following policy and regulatory frameworks on roaming and interconnection:
i-An Explanatory Note on Model Policy and Regulatory Frameworks.
ii-Regulatory Framework for Roaming (and Model Reference Offers for roaming)
- An Explanatory Note on Cross-Border Interconnections Policy and Regulatory Frameworks;( and Model Reference Offers for roaming)
– Regulatory Framework for Cross-Border Interconnections Offers (i.e. Model Cross-Border Interconnection Agreements).
– Regional roaming Agreement
- Adopted the following policy and regulatory frameworks on fibre optics:
1-An Explanatory Note on Open Access and infrastructure sharing of Fibre Networks;
2-Model Policy and Regulatory Framework for Open Access and Infrastructure Sharing of Fibre Networks;
- Reference Offer (i.e. Model Infrastructure Sharing Agreement) for regional cooperation on backbone fibre networks;
1-Policy and Regulatory Frameworks for Enhancing Private Sector Investment in ICT infrastructure development.
2-Framework of Cooperation, Sustainability Strategy and Regional Action Plan for the ICT sector.
- Urged Member States to domesticate the afore-mentioned policy and regulatory frameworks.
- Noted the progress made in the operationalisation of the Association of Regulators of Information and communication in Eastern and Southern Africa (ARICEA).
- Reaffirmed the importance of aligning national infrastructure plans with the COMESA Medium-Term Strategic Plan (MTSP) 2026–2030 and the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).
- Expressed their determination to resolve existing infrastructure gaps, promote regional connectivity and accelerate the digital and green transformation of the region’s transport, energy and ICT sectors.
- Noted the significant progress achieved through collective efforts in leveraging ICT to deepen regional integration, exemplified by the Africa Cloud Ecosystem (ACE) project, funded by the African Development Bank, which, following extensive consultations across eleven Member States, has recommended establishing a secure, continent-wide cloud ecosystem with its Head Office in Zambia, the main Data Center in Kenya and the Disaster Recovery site in Egypt.
- Welcomed targeted support and joint implementation initiatives empowering Member States to modernize their trade systems, such as the rollout of the COMESA Electronic Certificate of Origin (eCO) in piloting Member States.
- Encouraged Member States to take advantage of innovative initiatives such as the 50 Million African Women Speak Platform which continues to grow, providing vital resources and fostering economic empowerment.
- Reiterated their commitment to enhancing the institutional and human capacity across all Member States to ensure the widespread adoption and sustainability of digital innovations.
- Expressed Appreciation to the Government and People of the Republic of Burundi for hosting the meetings and for the warm welcome and hospitality afforded to the participating delegations.
Done at Bujumbura, Republic of Burundi, this 27th day of June 2025.