Author: Willis Osemo

COMESA Ministers Adopt COVID-19 Food Security and Nutrition Plan

Ministers responsible for agriculture, environment and natural resources have adopted the COMESA COVID-19 Food Security Response Plan to help the region deal with the impacts of Covid-19 on regional food security. In their 7th joint meeting conducted virtually, the Ministers expressed concern about the unfolding effects of Covid-19 on food and nutrition and called on…
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Improved Seed Trade will Unlock Regional Food Security

Sustainable agriculture is an essential factor to advancing trade within COMESA and the rest of Africa. Over the last two decades, Africa has remained a net food importer, with agricultural accounting for about 60% of Africa’s total trade in agricultural products. Furthermore, agricultural product imports account for around 13% of total imports. The COVID-19 pandemic…
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Business Sector Calls for Digital Inclusiveness and Enterprise Competitiveness in Cross-Border Trade

The current disruption in global supply chains has underlined the importance of regional markets, and the need to address constraints and build robust economies that can fully compete and take advantage of regional markets. According to the Chairman of the COMESA Business Council (CBC) Mr. Marday Venkatasamy, the strategy of ‘Building Regional Going Global’, has…
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FEMCOM Supporting Eritrean Women Farmers Tackle COVID-19 Challenges through Agriculture

Agriculture in the African continent has increasingly come under severe strain due to increased population, changing access to resources and evolving markets, climate change and the global COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. But in the State of Eritrea, farmers, most of them women, have been able to produce adequate food for the local consumer markets, thanks to…
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eCOMESA Newsletter Issue No. 633

In this Edition COMESA Ministers Adopt COVID-19 Food Security and Nutrition Plan Improved Seed Trade will Unlock Regional Food Security COMESA Sugar Safeguard for Kenya is Paying-Off FEMCOM Supporting Eritrean Women Farmers Tackle COVID-19 Challenges through Agriculture Business Sector Calls for Digital Inclusiveness and Enterprise Competitiveness in Cross-Border Trade Follow the Link  to Read More:…
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Smooth Flow of Traffic Across COMESA, EAC, SADC Expected,as Tripartite Council of Ministers Adopt New Guidelines

July 31, 2020: The Tripartite Council of Ministers of three regional economic communities in the eastern and southern Africa have approved new harmonized trade and transport facilitation guidelines. The Tripartite Guidelines for the Movement of Persons, Goods and Services across the Tripartite Region During COVID-19 Pandemic, consolidates those developed earlier by COMESA, the East African…
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Sudan’s New Law Allowing Women to Travel with their Children, Hailed

July 28, 2020: The move by the Government of Sudan to allow women to travel outside the country with their children without their father’s permission, and for criminalizing female genital mutilation has won accolades from COMESA gender experts. Director of Gender and Social Affairs Division Mrs. Beatrice Hamusonde says the move by Sudan recognizes women…
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Zambia Readies to Deal with Structural Vulnerabilities under the COMESA Early Warning System Support

Lusaka, July 24, 2020: COMESA has been hosting national multi-stakeholders’ consultative forums to sensitize Member States on its Early Warning (COMWARN) System Vulnerability Assessments (SVAs) to establish response measures that can help in the reduction of such vulnerabilities.  So far, four countries including Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya and lately Zambia have been covered. On 24 July…
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eCOMESA Newsletter Issue No. 632

In this Edition 1. Free Flow of Traffic Across COMESA, EAC, SADC Expected 2. COMESA COVID-19 Food Security Response Plan Underway 3.Zambia Readies to Deal with Structuralm Vulnerabilities under the COMESA Early Warning System Support 4. Sudan’s New Law Allowing Women to Travel with their Children Hailed 5. Taking Stock of the Implementation of Regional…
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Taking Stock of the Implementation of Regional Guidelines, two Months After

There is need for establishment of a public-private border management consultative committee to foster dialogue, collaboration and awareness on new regulatory requirements and response mechanism. This will provide a framework for continued intra-regional trade during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This was part of the recommendations that emerged from virtual a virtual meeting with regional stakeholders from…
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