The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has expressed confidence in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s leadership and facilitation in the successful roll-out of the newly
inaugurated African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

COMESA Secretary General Chileshe Kapwepwe said the regional economic bloc counts on President Kenyatta’s support to guide and move forward the implementation of AfCFTA.

“As COMESA, we are confident that your commitment and support will play a big role in the realization of AfCTA as we work to ensure COMESA’s voice is heard and its interests safeguarded at the continental level,” Kapwepwe told President Kenyatta.

Ms Kapwepwe, was is the country for the COMESA Source 21 International Trade Fair and High-Level Business Summit. She was speaking on Thursday July 18 when she paid a courtesy
call on the President at State House, Nairobi. She said COMESA will continue to play a key role in addressing unemployment and trade imbalance in the region.

Implementation of AfCTA was launched early this month at the 12th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Africa Union (AU) in Niamey, Niger.

President Kenyatta assured of Kenya’s support to COMESA as it moves to consolidate its position as an economic powerhouse on the continent. He reiterated his call for COMESA member states
to come together and take advantage of their collective strengths as an economic bloc.

“Our success as COMESA member states will largely depend on us stopping to look at each other as competitors and instead unite for economic integration that will make us all winners,” President Kenyatta said.

“We must focus on removing the obstacles that are hindering our people from working and doing business together,” he added (PSCU)