A new baseline study conducted on youth engagement has found that only seven out of 21 COMESA countries have adopted youth quotas, which is now becoming a popular tool for increasing the political presence of underrepresented groups. The quotas are in three main forms: Legislated Quota, Political Party Quota, and the Reserved Quotas. Under the…
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To build capacity for the women in business in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the COMESA Federation of Women in Business, (COMFWB) through the national chapter, conducted a two-week Trainer of Trainers workshop aimed at developing business mentorship and training skills for various sector players. The training which targeted Congolese businesswomen was supported by the…
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COMESA is mourning the demise of Ms Hope Kivengere, a Member of the COMESA Committee of Elders, who passed away on 19 October 2021 in her home country Uganda. Ms Kivengere was appointed to the Committee of Elders in April 2015 where she also served as the Deputy Chairperson. In the course of service to…
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The COMESA Secretariat and the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania have jointly signed an agreement that sub-delegates the implementation of coordinated border management activities and construction of a border market at the Tunduma Tanzania-Zambia Border Post. The European Union allocated a total of EUR 2.7 million to this initiative under the COMESA Small-Scale…
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Secretary General Chileshe Kapwepwe was one of the speakers at the Global Business Forum – Africa. Along with the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Trade and Development Bank, Mr Admassu Tadesse, the two were among three discussants on the subject: Transformation Through Trade which is anchored on three pillars: RESET – RESTORE…
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The value of Intra-COMESA total exports declined by 11% from US$ 10.9 billion in 2019 to US$ 9.7 billion in 2020. The low performance was attributed to the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic and pre-existing factors such as supply-side challenges and prevalence of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs). According to an update presented at the ongoing 37th Meeting…
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COMESA and the UN Women East and Southern Africa Regional Office (UN Women ESARO) have organized a two-day webinar to mark the International Rural Women’s Day, that falls on 12 October. The event is aimed at utilizing the Day’s celebrations to disseminate the findings of two studies that were conducted by UN-Women, during the period…
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COMESA has conducted a study, which reviewed Member States policies related to the formalisation of the informal economy, focusing on informal trade. The study focused on the drivers of informality, the impacts of informality on the economy, including on government revenue and on productivity. It also identified the policies that Member States have instituted to…
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COMESA has commissioned EUR 100,000 worth of equipment under its Green Pass (GP) Certification Scheme in Luangwa District of Zambia, to facilitate small-scale cross border trade in fish. The procurement of the equipment was funded under the 11 European Development Fund (EDF) Small Scale Cross Border Trade Initiative (SSCBTI) Programme. The equipment was commissioned on…
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There is fresh attempt to revitalize the COMESA Customs Union agenda, which will result in the full realization of the Common Market. The COMESA economic integration timetable envisaged the attainment of the Customs Union by 2004, but this has since faced headwinds that has stalled the programme. As a result, COMESA Secretariat has called for…
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