The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) 28th Policy Organs meetings and the 14th Heads of State and Government Summit is taking place this week in Mbabane, Swaziland. The Summit which runs from August 31st-September 1st 2010 was preceded by other Policy Organ meetings at technical, senior officials and Ministerial level, including a Business Forum. The 28th meeting of the Council of Ministers is on going from August 25th-27th, 2010.
The COMESA Summit will examine, among other things, developments in the regional integration agenda, including progress towards the full implementation of the COMESA Customs Union, the tripartite cooperation between COMESA-EAC and SADC, and how the region can enhance the utilization of science and technology for the betterment of its people. All the 19 COMESA Member States are expected to be represented, which include the African nations of Burundi, Comoros, S.R. Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
During this Summit, the Kingdom of Swaziland will take over the Chairmanship of COMESA from the Republic of Zimbabwe. His Majesty King Mswati III will Chair the COMESA Authority until the next Summit to be held in 2011 at a date to be agreed upon.
The Summit will also be held around important national events on the Swaziland calendar such as the Annual Reed Dance locally known as Umhlanga which will be held on August 30th.
The dates for the Policy Organs meetings and Summit were established:
• August 18 – 20: Administrative and Budgetary Committee meetings.
• August 21 – 23 August: Intergovernmental Committee meetings.
• August 27: The Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) Ministers meeting on Economic Partnership Agreements.
• August 27 – 28: The Business Forum.
• August 28 – 29: Ministers of Foreign Affairs round table.
• August 31: The sixth First Ladies Roundtable; the Heads of States Summit.
The Heads of States meeting will be held at Swaziland’s Lozitha Palace, while other meetings were scheduled at the Royal Swazi Sun and the Esibayeni Lodge.
COMESA began in December 1994. It was established ‘as an organization of free independent sovereign states which have agreed to co-operate in developing their natural and human resources for the good of all their people, and a free trade mechanism, including necessary priorities, such as the promotion of peace and security in the African region. With its 19 member states, population of over 389 million, an annual import bill of around US$32 billion, and an export bill of US$82 billion, COMESA forms a major market place for both internal and external trading. Its area of cooperation on the African Continent covers a geographical area of 12 Million sq km.
Tags: Africa's common market, African Heads of State and Government Summit, Burundi, COMESA, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, politics, Rwanda, S.R. Congo, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
