1

www.comesa.int e

Issue #126 - Friday 19 October 2007 newsletterIssue #205 22nd May 2009 newsletter

COMESA secretariat was amoung the first to congratulate President Bingu wa Mutharika on his re-election as

President of the republic of Malawi. President wa Mutharika a former Secretary General of COMESA, has been re-elected for his second and final five year term and is due to be sworn in today ( Friday 22nd May 2009).

“On behalf of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretariat, and indeed on my own behalf, I have the honour and pleasure to extend to you, Your Excellency, our heartfelt congratulations on your re-election as President of the Republic of Malawi. The people of Malawi, through the clear majority vote cast on your behalf, have expressed their confidence in your leadership” COMESA Secretary General’s message said in part.

“Under your leadership, the Republic of Malawi has continued to play an active role in the growth of COMESA and implementation

The Prime Minister of Kingdom of Swaziland Dr. Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini has given a nod to the

“buy African, developed Africa” slogan specifically coined to encourage trade amongst nations of the continent. The slogan was unveiled to the Prime Minister by the COMESA Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya during his two days visit to the kingdom.

Dlamini said Swaziland would imitate this by adopting a “Buy Swaziland,

COMESA Cheered by re-election of Bingu wa Mutharika

continued to page 2

of the various programmes that you spearhead during your time as Secretary General” added Mr Ngwenya.“COMESA Secretariat still cherishes your personal contribution as former Secretary General of COMESA, Africa’s largest Economic Community. We have no doubt

that we shall continue to benefit from your wise guidance and unwavering support as we deepen economic integration” he concluded. President Bingu wa Mutharika served as COMESA Secretary General and its predecessor the PTA from 1990 up to 1997

develop Swaziland” strategy. “Swaziland has come a long way with COMESA, and the country’s membership to this body has been fruitful”. He pointed out.

Secretary Ngwenya paid was on a two days visit to consult with the kingdom of Swaziland in preparation for the launch of the COMESA union which will be held in Zimbabwe next month. The launch will also be attended by Heads of State and

Governments, from the COMESA member countries.

During the visit Mr Ngwenya Secretary General met Prime Minister Dr. Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini at the Cabinet Offices where is also met with the Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Jabulile Mashwama. He indicated that highlights of the COMESA launch would include the regional payments and settlement system where member states will be making submissions on how the payment process and the Buy Africa Build Africa ( BABA) brand.

Making his remarks at Cabinet, Ngwenya observed that Swaziland is still a fully fledged member to both

Swazi PM Dr. Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini nods to “Buy African, Build Africa” (BABA) strategy

2

www.comesa.inte

And the European Union Election Observation Mission and the Common Market for Eastern

and Southern Africa (COMESA) election observer missions have declared the Malawi election as free and fair, adding that they were held under a tranquil and peaceful environment.

It his preliminary report, Head of COMESA Election Observer Mission, Otema Musuka, said at a press briefing on Lilongwe yesterday that the mission did not witness any occurrence that could have compromised the integrity of the votes cast.

“The Mission did not witness any occurrences that could have compromised the integrity of the votes cast. In short, the process took place in an environment, which was transparent and secure enough to guarantee the freedom of the vote and respect the will of the voters. The Mission, therefore, considers that the votes

cast and the declared results thus far as a true reflection of the will of the people of Malawi in the 2009 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections” the report said in part.

He congratulated the people of Malawi for the peaceful election and a huge turn out to cast the votes, which he said was an important ingredient to the development of democracy.There are currently has nearly six million registered voters in Malawi, out of the 13 million people.

The mission was composed of eminent persons from six (6) COMESA Member States (DR Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe) and the COMESA Secretariat.

The Mission shall prepare a detailed report of its observations which shall be submitted to the people of Malawi through the Malawi Electoral Commission.

This week COMESA Secretary

General briefed the committee

of Permanent representatives to

COMESA ahead of the Summit

and Launch of the COMESA

Customs Union. Permanent

representative are composed of

Embassies and High Commissions

of COMESA Member States

represented in Zambia. The

Zambian government is also

represented at this committee.

Meanwhile the Indian High

Commission to Zambia who is

also a special representative to

COMESA HE Ashok Kumar this

week also paid a courtesy call to

COMESA Secretariat. He was

received by Ambassador Nagla

El-Hussainy, Assistant Secretary

General Administration and

Finance, who was then acting as

Secretary General. HE Ashok

Kumar confirmed that he would

represent his country at the

Summit.

COMESA Observer Mission declares Malawi elections free and fair

from page 1

COMESA and SACU and continues to enjoy the benefits offered by both entities. SACU is the Southern African Customs Union. He advised that Swaziland should not be torn apart about choosing between SACU and COMESA, adding this period is not an ideal time for countries to be making such decisions. In this regard, he said the solution for the complex African trade issues lies with formation of a Pan African Free Trade Area which would encompass all African states to robustly trade amongst themselves adding that that the idea of a Pan African trade regime should be fully explored, and if need be, speeded up so as to address the complex African trade issues.

During the visit Mr Ngwenya paid homage to His Majesty King Mswati III for his commitment to COMESA. He also noted that His Majesty has been an advocate for a Pan African Trade Area. Swaziland is a founding member of COMESA and by participating in COMESA activities, the country has been able to sell its products at preferential tariff rates to 18 member states. Swaziland’s exports to COMESA now stand at E1.4 billion. ( over US $140 million)

COMESA observer Mission to Malawi

COMESA Brief Representatives

3

www.comesa.int e

Zambian Minister of Agriculture and

Cooperatives responsible for livestock,

veterinary and fisheries, Bradford

Machila this week pointed out that

trade staple crops has great potential

to increase incomes in the Common

Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

region.

Mr. Machila said this at the official

opening of COMESA’s Alliance for

Commodity Trade in East and Southern

Africa (ACTESA) planning meeting

in Livingstone, Zambia yesterday (

Thursday 21st May ). The meeting was

attended various development partners,

farmers’ organizations and stakeholders

from across the globe.

Mr. Machila pointed out that it was

of critical importance for ACTESA to

produce an appropriate trade and

marketing agenda that would motivate

producers to become sustainable and

reliable for the huge regional market.

“The COMESA region has great

agricultural potential, COMESA is one

of the biggest producers of cassava

and banana in the world, but because

of lack of markets, large cassava

quantities are never harvested - they

are left underground,” he said. “We

have not been able to systematically

commercialize staple crop sub-sectors;

it is therefore gratifying to see that

COMESA is now moving to motivate our

staple crop growers by developing an

industrial base in crops.”

Mr. Machila noted that ACTESA was an

important effort to respond to the high

food prices and sustainably address

regional food security because food

insecurity undermined the overall

development process in the region.

“This region expects ACTESA to be an

effective and non bureaucratic initiative

that serves farmers,” he said.

Mr. Machila congratulated COMESA for

championing the development of the

agricultural sector through dedicated

implementation of the Comprehensive

Africa Agriculture Development

Programme (CAADP).

He further thanked the development

partners present at the launch for their

support and urged them to rededicate

themselves to ACTESA.

COMESA Secretary General, Sindiso

Ngwenya informed the meeting that

COMESA intra-regional trade stood

at a provisionally estimated figure

of US$ 15 billion in 2008 from US$

3.1 billion in 2000, noting that an

increasing proportion of the trade was

in agricultural goods thereby providing

real market benefits to the farming

community.

Mr. Ngwenya, who was represented

by COMESA Investment Promotion and

Private Sector Development (IPPSD)

director Chungu Mwila, said with the

coming on board of the Customs Union

to be launched next month, a large

economic space with fully harmonized

trade regimes would be created, which

was of critical importance to both

producers and consumers in COMESA

Trade in Staple Crops has great potential to increase incomes in the COMESA region

and cardinal to ACTESA.

“We are determined to raise our

cooperation in confronting the many

challenges that face us to a new high,

we look forward to a region in which,

agricultural productivity is driven by an

expanded market and where consumers

will have access to quality products at

affordable rates,” he said.

ACTESA was launched on September

24, 2008 as a result of the meeting

of COMESA Ministers of agriculture

held in Seychelles in March 2008,

where the COMESA Secretariat was

mandated to hasten the preparation and

design of ACTESA as a follow up to the

2006 Abuja declaration by the African

Union on food security in Africa to

promote development of collaborative

partnerships for expanded trade in

staple foods.

The main goal of ACTESA is to increase

farmer productivity and incomes in the

COMESA region through trade in staple

crops. It is an answer to the region’s

agricultural challenges that include trade

related constraints, low productivity,

technological and policy related

constraints.

The targeted staple crops under the

ACTESA programme include maize,

sorghum, rice, beans, pulses, cassava,

and bananas. In addition, livestock and

livestock products, as well as selected

food products produced in marginal

agro-ecological zones, will be included.