Heads of Customs from the COMESA region have agreed on prioritizing Post -Covid-19 recovery in the 2021-2023 Customs and Trade Facilitation Work Programme. In a virtual meeting conducted last week, 14 October 2020, the officials said this will enable the identification and prioritization of activities that will enhance post COVID-19 recovery for Member States. According…
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The 7th COMESA Annual Research Forum will take place from 19 – 21 October 2020 and this year, the focus is how intra-COMESA Trade can be harnessed through interface with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA). The virtual event which is being funded by COMESA, the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS)…
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The 50 Million African Women Speak (50MAWSP) platform was unveiled Friday 9 October in Antananarivo, Madagascar making the country the fourth COMESA Member State to launch the digital networking platform. The national launch of the platform was presided over by the Minister for Population, Social Protection and Advancement of Women, Hon. Michelle Bavy Angelica at…
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The negative socio-economic impact of COVID-19 has not spared the leather industry in Zambia as the industry is feeling the pinch of the pandemic due to massive disruptions in the way business is done. Several small and medium entrepreneurs in the sector have folded altogether, while some have joined forces to stay afloat. Industry players…
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A report from the Fifth Trade and Trade Facilitation Sub-Committee meeting of COMESA which was held virtually has indicated that the region’s average growth slowed down in 2019 to 5.2% from 6.0% in 2018 and is projected to decrease to 0.6% in 2020. The slowdown in growth was experienced in most COMESA member countries except…
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There has been a notable increase in the number of Non-Tariff Barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic period as countries increasingly took discretionary measures to contain the spread of the virus. COMESA Director of trade Dr Chris Onyango told delegates attending the fifth Meeting of the COMESA Trade and Trade Facilitation Sub-Committee last week, 6-8 October…
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Monday, 12th October 2020, Lusaka – “Among the challenges impacting industry competitiveness, is the lack of an affordable and effective platform which accommodates digital cross-border payments by SMEs. In an effort to address this challenge, CBC’s Digital Financial Inclusion program, piloted in 9 countries (Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia), is…
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Seven countries: Burundi, Rwanda, Comoros, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mauritius and Madagascar have nominated officers that will serve as the focal persons in operationalizing the newly developed COMESA Information Sharing Portal. The portal is a resource page for real time exchange of information on regional supply and demand of essential goods manufactured in the region. Developed to…
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Preparatory work for launch of a Corridor Trip Monitoring System (CTMS) pilot project are an advanced stage. The CTMS is an initiative of the tripartite regional blocs; the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) on trade and transport facilitation. Piloting of…
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The Regional Integration Capacity Building Project (RICB II) under the COMESA Adjustment Facility (CAF) is conducting project monitoring missions in Zambia to assess the progress attained and capture key results achieved at national level as the project closes in November this year. Zambia is among the countries that is benefiting from CAF /Regional Integration Support…
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