BACKGROUND 

1.1 The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a Regional Economic Community comprising of 21 African states’ which have agreed to promote regional integration through trade development and transport facilitation as well as development of their natural and human resources for the mutual benefit of all their people. Its vision is to be a fully integrated economic community that is prosperous, internationally competitive, and ready to merge into the African Economic Community.

1.2 COMESA aims to achieve sustainable economic and social progress in all member states through increased regional economic cooperation and integration in all fields of development, particularly in trade, customs, and monetary affairs.

1.3 The COMESA Treaty under Articles 154 and 155 acknowledges the role of women in the socio-economic transformation, development, and sustainable economic growth in the region. It also recognizes the importance of impartial treatment of women and highlights the different needs, concerns, and interests of women that should be integrated into all COMESA programs and projects. This is also translated into the COMESA Gender Policy (2016) which guides the work on the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment in the COMESA region.

1.4 Furthermore, the Treaty emphasizes that Member States shall take action to narrow the gender gaps and facilitate gender main streaming for meaningful participation of women in regional integration and social transformation and development.

1.5 COMESA with the support of European Union under the 11 EDF Regional Enterprise Competitiveness and Access to Market Program (RECAMP) aims to contribute to deepening of regional economic integration in the COMESA region with a specific objective of increasing private sector participation in sustainable regional and global value chains. The targeted value chains for the RECAMP are horticulture, leather, leather products; and ago-processing. The private sector, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), is key to the realization of industrialization in the region.

1.6 One of the activities under RECAMP is that women and youth owned and led SMEs in the targeted value chains are identified and profiled to understand their situation and needs to enable targeted support contributes to equitable and/or equal distribution of benefits under the programme as one of the key beneficiaries.

1.7 In line with this, COMESA plans to contract a consulting firm to conduct a survey to profile Women and Youth owned and/or led businesses in the COMESA Region. The firm once engaged will work in line with the scope of work outlined in 4.0 below.