• Marie chantal nijimbere, minister of trade, transport, industry and tourism of the republic of burundi and chairperson of the comesa council of ministers;
• Honourable ministers and members of council;
• The honourable lady justice lombe chibesakunda- judge president of the comesa court of justice;
• Her Excellency Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe- secretary general of comesa;
• Heads and representatives of international and regional organizations;
• Excellencies, ambassadors, permanent and special representatives to comesa;
• Chief executives of comesa institutions;
• The media;
• Invited guests;
• Ladies and gentlemen
  

 On behalf of the government and people of the republic of zambia, it is an honour and a privilege to welcome you all to lusaka for the 45th meeting of the comesa council of ministers. This meeting seeks to build on our enduring regional solidarity and our shared vision to accelerate the achievement of economic growth, social development, and sustainability across the comesa region.

Madam chairperson, 

The comesa council of ministers plays a pivotal role in providing effective policy and strategic direction to comesa. The council is also responsible for facilitating the implementation of the regional integration agenda. This contribution is deeply valued.

Honourable ministers and distinguished guests, 

The 45th council of ministers meeting is being held after the 23rd summit of the comesa authority of heads of state and government, which took place in burundi on 31st october.

I congratulate the secretariat, under the able leadership of the secretary general, madam chileshe mpundu kapwepwe, for having delivered a successful summit. The summit provides critical focus areas upon which our comesa region should anchor its aspirations going forward.

I further wish to congratulate comesa on it’s 30th anniversary. This milestone signifies comesa’s relevance, endurance and commitment to fostering the regional integration agenda to contribute towards the development of the africa we want.

This meeting is being held under the theme ‘‘accelerating regional integration through the development of regional value chains in climate resilient agriculture, mining and tourism“. This theme is timely. Agriculture, mining and tourism remains the pillars of our region’s economies and a source of livelihood for millions of our citizens. Yet they have become vulnerable to climate change. Value addition needs to be enhanced in order to improve the sectors’ contributions to our economies.

We need to invest in climate-resilient technologies and interventions in order to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change such as droughts, floods, and changing weather patterns that threaten food security, socio- economic stability, health and job security especially for the youth.

Climate change preparedness, diversification, innovation and developing climate-resilient value chains, are some of the options we should adopt to protect the region, and member states from the adverse effects of climate change. As a region, we are seized with our collective responsibility to embrace innovative and sustainable solutions to address the challenges we face.

The mining sector, much like agriculture, holds immense potential to catalyse regional development and benefit from deeper regional integration. Beyond extraction, the opportunities for value addition lie not within the confines of one-member state’s borders but rather in well-developed regional value chains transcending several comesa member states. The mining sector is well positioned to contribute essential raw materials for manufacturing and infrastructure development in the region.

Similarly, comesa as a region is blessed with breath-taking landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and unparalleled biodiversity. By building regional tourism value chains, we can connect our destinations, harmonize policies, eliminate barriers to travel as well as create an attractive tourism market that brings the world to our region and in turn benefits all of the citizens.

Honourable ministers and distinguished guests, 

Comesa has made tremendous strides in fostering regional integration and economic growth. The establishment of frameworks for trade facilitation, digital transformation, and gender inclusion have been instrumental in advancing our shared goals.

This meeting also comes at a time of notable and exciting developments with regard to the comesa-eac-sadc tripartite free trade area which came into force in july this year. This is a monumental achievement, as the tripartite free trade area will go a long way in fostering market integration, infrastructure development and industrial development across the three regions. It will also complement the objectives of the african continental free trade area.

Honourable ministers and distinguished guests, 

By leveraging regional integration, we have an opportunity to share technologies, pool resources together, invest in shared infrastructure as well as ensure connectivity of transport, energy and digital systems. We also have an opportunity to build innovative and sustainable practices that not only increase productivity but also secures socio- economic development for all.

Let this meeting be a space where decisions on innovative solutions are made. Let this meeting be a space where policies that transcend boundaries are approved. Let this meeting also be a space where stronger partnerships are encouraged to ensure a brighter future for all.

Honourable ministers and distinguished guests, 

Let me express our gratitude to our development partners for their continued support to comesa and its programmes. I urge the secretariat to continue strengthening these partnerships.

In conclusion, i thank the comesa secretariat and all stakeholders for successfully hosting this meeting.

I wish you all fruitful deliberations. It is now my honour to declare the 45th meeting of the comesa council of ministers officially open.

May god bless you. I thank you.