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COMESA weekly newsletter eThis bulletin is published by the COMESA Secretariat Corporate Communications Unit but does not necessarily represent views of the Secretariat. For Feedback: pr@comesa.int

Contact Address : COMESA SECRETARIAT, COMESA Center , Ben Bella Road P.O. Box 30051, +260 211 229 725, +260 211 225 107

www.comesa.int; email: e-COMESA@comesa.int

Issue #: 478_7th March 2016

The COMESA Council of Ministers has urged

Member States that have not signed the Tripartite

Free Trade Area (TFTA) Agreement to do so and

those that have signed to start the ratification

process.

During the Sixth Extra Ordinary meeting in

Lusaka, Zambia held on 03 – 04 March 2016,

the Ministers noted that since the launch of the

TFTA in June 2016, sixteen out of the 26 countries

had signed the agreement. So far, none of the

tripartite countries have ratified the Agreement.

Those that have signed include Angola, Burundi,

Comoros, D R Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Kenya,

Malawi, Namibia, Seychelles, Rwanda, Sudan,

Tanzania, Uganda, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

Giving an update on the status of the TFTA,

the COMESA Secretariat reported that national

consultations on signing were on-going in Lesotho

and Seychelles while similar consultations on

ratification were underway in Sudan, Swaziland

and Zimbabwe.

At the Summit that launched the TFTA in June

2015, in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, the Heads of

State and Government directed the tripartite

member and partners states to expedite the

conclusion of the outstanding negotiation issues.

These were in the Phase I of the negotiations

process covering tariff offers, trade remedies and

Rules of Origin. A timeframe of 12 months from

the date of the launching was given to conclude

the issues.story on page 2

AU HQ: Venue of the 18th COMESA Summit

to page 2

Member States urged to speed-up signing the Tripartite Agreement

Council of Ministers meeting in session

Uganda gets additional CAF/ RISM funds for Regional IntegrationCOMESA and Uganda have signed for additional support worth €507,370.19 for the implementation of Uganda’s Regional Integration Implementation Programme (RIIP). Speaking after signing the addendum on 02 March 2016, COMESA Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya said this support is in addition to €964,172 and €1,354,337 received by Uganda in 2012 and 2013 under the CAF /RISM programme respectively.

This brings the total support for Uganda’s RIIP to €2,825,879.10 under COMESA’s Adjustment Facility’s Regional Integration Support Mechanism programme funded by the European Union (EU).

“The additional resources are meant to strengthen implementation of already existing regional integration project activities for Uganda. These activities include enhancing intra-regional trade through improved trade facilitation; and enhanced

Sindiso Ngwenya

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COMESA weekly newslettere

continued from page 1

continued from page 1Member States urged...The tripartite was founded on three pillars namely:

market integration, industrial development and

infrastructure development. Phase I covers the

market integration pillar, which includes the

removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers; as well as

the implementation of trade facilitation measures,

all of which are essential for the establishment of

a well-functioning Tripartite FTA.

The Ministers were informed that considerable

amount of work had been done during three

subsequent meetings convened by the technical

working groups on Rules of Origin and Trade

remedies. As a result, six out of seven annexes

that had been finalized were submitted to legal

scrubbing.

These are Annexes 3,5,6,7,8,9 on non-tariff

barriers, customs cooperation, trade facilitation,

transit trade and transit facilitation, technical

barriers to trade and sanitary and phyto-sanitary

measures respectively.

Tariff negotiations take place bilaterally between

and among the tripartite/ member States and

Customs territories. The outcomes of these

bilateral negotiations are then presented to the

Tripartite Trade Negotiation Forum.

In their final decisions, the Ministers urged Member

States to confirm their tariff offers to other TFTA

Member/Partners States and submit their tariff

2012 books to the Secretariat by 30 April 2016.

The books should show clearly all current trade

regimes they participate in and duties on products

originating from TFTA countries.

On rules of origin, the Ministers noted that 47.9

percent of all chapters relating to the negotiation

on list rules remained outstanding and these

represented 55% of total intra-tripartite trade

value.

Further, the Ministers supported the adoption and

approval for legal scrubbing on the Annexes on

Rules of Origin and a dynamic approach to the

negotiation of the rules based on key identified

indicators.

competiveness of private sector to maximize regional value chains,” Ngwenya said.

He said Uganda’s Regional Integration Implementation Project (RIIP) also increases the competiveness of goods and services and streamlines transportation measures to reduce the cost of moving goods between countries and; improving the business environment for private sector growth.

The main focus of Uganda’s RIIP is to maximize the benefits of that country’s accession to the Free Trade Area, which was effective on 01 July 2014. In line with this, the project is supporting the construction and operationalization of Border

COMESA and the Global Peace Foundation have

renewed their Memorandum of Understanding

on the implementation of the COMESA Youth

programme.

The two will work closely together to promote youth

participation in development activities including

decision-making process at country, regional and

continental levels.

The areas of co-operation stated in the MoU include

coordinating and facilitating the implementation of

the COMESA Youth programme and related projects.

This will be in line with the COMESA Social Charter,

African Youth Charter and the United Nations Youth

Programme, according to the COMESA Director of

Gender, Mrs Beatrice Hamusonde.

She said the two parties will also assist in mitigating

high youth unemployment in Africa as a whole and

the COMESA region in particular.

The overall objective of the MoU is for the two

organizations to contribute to the achievement

of the African Agenda 2063 and the sustainable

development goals and targets on youth

empowerment through coordination of the

implementation of the COMESA Youth Programme

and related projects.

The MoU was necessitated after considering the

decision by the Council of Ministers in December

Markets in key strategic border areas like Katuna. The project further aims to build capacity for Small and Medium Enterprises and Cross Border Traders in terms of value addition, value chain linkages in various sectors to facilitate access to the regional markets for wealth and employment creation for the Ugandan people.

2015 that Member States should lead the

implementation of the COMESA Youth programme by

putting measures in place to implement it.

“This programme was adopted by the 34th Council

of Ministers in Addis Ababa in March 2015 as a way

of realizing the demographic dividend of investing

in the youth,” Mrs Hamusonde said.

Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya and Global Peace

Foundation Africa Regional Representative Insu Choi

signed on behalf of their respective organizations.

Uganda gets additional CAF/ RISM ...

New steps to empower the youths

The resources will strengthen implementation of already existing regional integration project activities for Uganda thus enhancing intra-regional trade through improved trade facilitation, and enhanced competiveness of the private sector to maximize regional value chains.”

Mr Beatrice Hamusonde, Director of Gender and Social Affairs

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COMESA weekly newsletter e

A financially inclusive eco-system that takes on

board all financial service providers will enhance

the regional integration agenda espoused by the

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

(COMESA).

Pursuant to this objective, the COMESA Monetary

Institute (CMI) has begun the process of

developing a model strategy for enhancing

financial inclusion in the COMESA Region.

Working with the African Development Bank

(AfDB) and Alliance Forum Foundation

(Japan), the CMI organized a workshop in

Nairobi (24 February – 01 March 2016) for

COMESA Member States entitled: “Enhancing

Financial Inclusion in COMESA Region - through

Enhancement of the Regulatory and Supervisory

Framework.”

The workshop was attended by participants

from Burundi, Union of the Comoros, Djibouti,

DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya,

Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda, Sudan, Swaziland,

Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The workshop produced a regulatory and

supervision framework which balances

financial inclusion and financial stability and

also recommended the preparation of Model

Strategy for Financial inclusion in the COMESA

region from 2017-2022.

The framework details performance benchmarks

for financial inclusion; a wider basket of

products and services for financially excluded

and possible delivery channels of the identified

services.

The Governor, Central Bank of Kenya, Dr Patrick

Njoroge told the delegates that the development

of proportionate, risk based, regulations

by policy makers is critical to guaranteeing

the development of a dynamic, robust and

sustainable microfinance framework for a

country.

Citing the case for Kenya, the Governor stated:

“While commendable achievements have been

made, in the past six years the microfinance

sector is faced with key challenges, which

include among others high cost of credit,

inadequate products and services and weak

consumer protection framework.”

He therefore emphasized the critical role of

Central Banks in providing a diverse range of

financial products to the unbanked.

“The role of the Central Bank of Kenya in this

regard is centered on the promotion of an

enabling legal and regulatory framework that

fosters the development of a diverse range of

financial service providers while guaranteeing its

dual mandate of financial stability and financial

integrity,” Dr Njoroge said.

The Director of the CMI, Mr Ibrahim Zeidy said

that COMESA’s integration agenda requires

enhanced private sector development that

ensures sufficient access to finance by Micro,

Small and Medium enterprises. He emphasized

the importance of preparing a Model Regional

Financial Inclusion Strategy, which is aimed at

providing a blueprint for enhancing financial

inclusion in the region.

The Chairman of the Alliance Forum Foundation

Board and Special Advisor to the Cabinet Office

of the Prime Minister of Japan, Mr George Hara

underscored the importance of Public Interest

Capitalism. He said this was the key to creating a

thick layer of middle class.

“Such a system will enable companies to

serve the interest of all stakeholders, namely

customers, employees, executives and business

partners, through products, services, and

employment,” he said.

Others who addressed the delegates included

Mr Tadashi Yokoyama and Mr Julius Karuga of

the African Development Bank Group.

The workshop followed a directive by the

COMESA Committee of Governors of Central

Banks held in Lusaka, Zambia in November

2015, to develop a model strategy for

enhancing financial inclusion in the COMESA

region.

Financially inclusive eco-system will enhance COMESA integration agenda

Delegates attending the workshop on financial inclusion

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COMESA weekly newslettere

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The Federation of National Associations of

Women in Business in COMESA (FEMCOM)

has launched the National Chapter in

Zimbabwe.

The launch is one of the key activities of

the Regional Integration Implementation

Project (RIIP) in Zimbabwe supported by

the COMESA Adjustment Facility’s Regional

Integration Support Mechanism (CAF/

RISM). The programme funded by the

European Union (EU).

Speaking at the official launch

in Harare, Zimbabwe, recently,

COMESA Assistant Secretary General

for Administration and Finance,

Ambassador Nagla El-Hussainy

congratulated the Government of

Zimbabwe for officially launching the

FEMCOM national chapter.

“FEMCOM was founded by COMESA

on the idea that regional economic

integration cannot succeeded without

full and equal participation of women in

business. COMESA Secretariat is therefore

working closely with FEMCOM Secretariat

to strengthen the national chapters,” she

said.

Zimbabwe’s Minister of Women Affairs,

Gender and Community Development

Honorable Nyasha Chikwinya, thanked

COMESA and FEMCOM Secretariats for the

continued support to women’s activities

including financial assistance.

“My ministry will continue to assist and

support FEMCOM Zimbabwe Chapter in

collaboration with the Ministry of Industry

and Commerce to ensure women in

business benefitted from the economic

activities in all sectors,” she said.

FEMCOM Chief Executive Officer, Mrs

Katherine Ichoya said FEMCOM’s vision

was to support women in business in the

region through programmes that promote,

encourage and serve the needs of women

and their businesses in collaboration with

relevant partners at all levels.

Through the Regional Integration

Implementation Project, FEMCOM

Zimbabwe Chapter intends to build

capacity for women in business

management skills through training and

networking with other regional chapters.

Zimbabwe signed a grant agreement with

COMESA worth of €4.2 million for the RIIP

under the 9th European Development

Fund (EDF) from the European Union for

RIIP for the period 2014-2016.

FEMCOM was established in July 1993, in

Zimbabwe by the COMESA Heads of State

and Government.

FEMCOM Zimbabwe Chapter launched

“FEMCOM was founded by COMESA

on the idea that regional economic

integration cannot succeeded

without full and equal participation

of women in business. COMESA

Secretariat is therefore working

closely with FEMCOM Secretariat to

strengthen the national chapters,”

she said.

Mrs Kathrine Ichoya, Director, FEMCOM