The Regional Enterprise Competitiveness and Access to Markets Programme (RECAMP) has successfully concluded after a four-year implementation period. Funded by the 11th European Development Fund, the €8 million programme aimed to enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agro-processing, horticulture, and leather value chains across the COMESA region.
RECAMP’s impact has been significant, with notable accomplishments including supporting over 500 SMEs to access new markets and improve competitiveness, implementing the leather value chains traceability systems in 14 member states and facilitating the adoption of regional standards and harmonized regulatory frameworks in Sanitary and Phyto Sanitary (SPS) measures.
Further, RECAMP is credited with enhancing the capacity of business support organizations and trade promotion agencies including implementation of the investor tracking system and COMESA investment map. It has fostered regional integration through the promotion of intra-regional trade and investment through the COMESA investment map and investor tracking system
The final RECAMP scorecard was presented during the 5th Steering Committee Meeting held on 12–13 February 2025 in Mbabane, Eswatini. The meeting, chaired by COMESA Assistant Secretary General for Programmes, Dr. Mohamed Kadah, brought together government officials from 19 Member States alongside representatives from the EU to COMESA and Zambia.
Dr. Kadah commended the RECAMP team and its partners for their dedication and hard work over the past 4 years of implementation.
“The RECAMP programme has demonstrated the power of regional cooperation and collaboration in promoting economic development and integration, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
He assured Member States that RECAMP’s impact will be sustained through the commitment of regional governments and private sector stakeholders, who have pledged to integrate its activities into national development initiatives.
Dr. Kadah also expressed appreciation to the EU for its continued support, particularly through the upcoming Africa Trade Competitiveness and Access to Markets Programme (ATCMAP), which aims to build on RECAMP’s achievements.
Ms. Cebile Nhlabatsi, Acting Principal Secretary of Eswatini’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Trade, highlighted RECAMP’s role in empowering SMEs and integrating them into regional and global value chains.
“The Kingdom benefited from several training and capacity-building activities under RECAMP, including support from the Technical Assistance Facility (TAF),” she said. “Through this initiative, Eswatini received EUR 150,000 for a beef lot project, empowering over 60 women-led SMEs.”
Meanwhile, EU Representative to Zambia and COMESA, Mr. Shimukunku Manchishi, reaffirmed the EU’s long-term commitment to supporting COMESA’s regional integration agenda. He noted that support would extend beyond the European Development Fund (EDF) framework, through the Neighbourhood, Development, and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) Framework.
RECAMP was implemented by the COMESA Secretariat in collaboration with its institutions, including COMESA Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB), Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI), Alliance for Commodity Trade in East and Southern Africa (ACTESA) and COMESA Regional Investment Agency (RIA).
As RECAMP concludes, its achievements provide a strong foundation for future initiatives aimed at strengthening enterprise competitiveness and regional trade in COMESA.