Online Reporter
Elita Chikwati
The Council of Ministers of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has considered and adopted the Medium-Term Strategic Plan (MTSP) 2026–2030 and the COMESA Strategy for the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to increase intra-regional trade and boost economic growth.
The MTSP 2026–2030 was adopted at the 9th Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers held virtually recently and recommended for launch at the 25th Summit of the Heads of State and Government.
The successful implementation of the MTSP 2026–2030 and the AfCFTA Strategy is expected to strengthen regional value chains, enhance infrastructure and connectivity, and promote inclusive economic participation, particularly for women, youth and small-scale traders.
The strategic plan provides a comprehensive framework anchored on five strategic pillars: consolidation of the regional market; infrastructure and connectivity; productive integration; gender, youth and social affairs; and an effective and efficient Secretariat.
The pillars are designed to accelerate the implementation of COMESA’s regional integration agenda.
The COMESA Strategy for the Implementation of the AfCFTA, offers a structured approach to enabling Member States to leverage the opportunities presented by the continental market, while reinforcing COMESA’s role as a building block of the African Economic Community.
In his opening remarks, COMESA Council of Ministers, chairperson Mr Lee Kinyajui who is also Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Trade, Investment and Industry, underscored the importance of effective implementation.
“The successful implementation of the MTSP 2026–2030 and the AfCFTA Strategy will be critical in driving increased intra-regional trade.
“The AfCFTA presents a significant opportunity to expand markets, support industrialisation, and further position COMESA as a key pillar within the African Economic Community,” he said.
COMESA secretary general, Mrs Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, expressed appreciation to Member States for their continued commitment to regional integration and highlighted the strategic importance of the adopted frameworks:
“The MTSP 2026–2030 provides a clear and forward-looking framework to advance regional transformation through deeper market integration, strengthened productive capacity, improved infrastructure and inclusive and sustainable development
“Together with the AfCFTA Implementation Strategy, this framework will accelerate the realisation of COMESA’s regional integration objectives and reinforce its contribution to the continental agenda,” she said.
The meeting urged stakeholders to intensify efforts towards resource mobilisation to support effective implementation.
COMESA, of which Zimbabwe is a signatory, is a regional economic community established in 1994.
It brings together 21 African Member States with a population of over 600 million people into a co-operative framework for sustainable economic growth and prosperity through regional integration.
