Over the last seven days, the number of COVID-19 cases in the region have experienced a surge as countries conduct mass testing. The number of recoveries are also expected to increase, based on the observation by experts, that 80% of COVID-19 infected people exhibit mild symptoms which are easy to manage. Read more COVID-19 in…
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COMESA has engaged with the World Bank to extend the duration of the implementation period of the Great Lakes Trade Facilitation Project (GLTFP) by one year. The no-cost extension is expected to make up for lost implementation time during the Covid-19 restrictions on movement. The four-year GLTFP is poised to end in December this year…
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The COMESA regional economy is projected to grow at a paltry 0.6% this year down from 5.2% recorded in 2019 and 6.0% in 2018. The slight dip in 2019 was attributed to lower commodity prices while the expected slump in 2020 will result from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic suggesting a deeper economic…
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Cross Border Traders Association officials at Livingstone town in Zambia, receives a consignment of 1,250 face masks sent by the COMESA Secretariat to support cross border trade. This was part of a 5,000 consignment of masks donated by the International Centre for Small Hydropower (ICSHP) based in China. COMESA and ICSHP have a collaborating framework…
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Measures in COMESA MS in Response to Covid -19 Vol 10
On behalf of the Authority of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), I would like to express my profound sadness and sincere condolences to the family, the Government, and the People of Burundi, following the sudden demise of His Excellency President Pierre Nkurunziza. The late President was a member of the COMESA…
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Ethiopia has inarguably taken the lead in the implementation of Climate-Resilient Green Economy to protect itself from the adverse effects of climate change with significant resources being deployed towards reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. The key success stories are in afforestation and land rehabilitation; generation and distribution of electricity from clean and renewable sources and…
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At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was predicted that most of the health systems in Africa and the COMESA region would be overwhelmed by the unprecedented spread of the virus. Anecdotal evidence based on country-specific interventions, however, indicates that countries in the region have demonstrated remarkable resilience defying earlier predictions. According to an…
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Rwanda and Uganda have recorded a reduction in trade flows in April and May 2020, according to the latest report from the COMESA Statistics on ‘COVID 19 Impact on Trade’. The report was prepared in the first two months in which COVID-19 spread to the region. Imports into Rwanda declined by 32 % in April…
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COMESA has published and gazetted the regional guidelines on the movement of goods and services across the region. This heralds the beginning of the implementation of the guidelines across the 21 member States. The guidelines were endorsed three weeks ago by the COMESA Ministers responsible for regional trade. Regional trade has consistently faced difficulties as…
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