COMESA has signed a contribution agreement of Euro 2.9 million with the ACP – EU under the TradeCom II capacity building programme.

This was done in Geneva, July 4, 2019 during a collective grant signing event at the just concluded World Trade Organisation Aid for Trade Global review forum.

ACP Assistant Secretary General, Viwanou Gnassounou and COMESA Secretary General, Chileshe Kapwepwe signed the agreement on behalf of the other organisations in the presence of the Director of Planet and Prosperity Development at the European Union Carla Montesi.

As a component of the TradeComm II Programme, the Grant is an inclusive, demand-driven facility that supports cooperative responses to the Programme’s objectives and expected results. The Grant complements the demand-led support with longer-term and locally anchored institutional capacity building.

The funding will focus on, support to ACP trade institutions such as trade research and trade capacity building institutions, including academic institutions. It will encourage the establishment of both North-South-twinning for specialized providers of trade related activities from EU Member States in partnership with ACP beneficiaries and cooperation with international organizations.