Lusaka, Monday, March 11, 2019: COMESA mourns the sudden demise of Ambassador Julius Onen, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives of Uganda.

Ambassador Onen has been instrumental in driving the regional integration agenda. His depth of knowledge on regional integration and his insightful contributions on the subject in various fora, regionally and globally has often informed major policy decisions.

He was a polished diplomat and nurtured excellent working relations between COMESA Secretariat and the Ministry which oversees the implementation of COMESA programmes in Uganda.

“His demise leaves our region poorer of champions that it needs to spur economic take-off and realize our common vision,” the Secretary General of COMESA Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe said in a message of condolences..