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Elita Chikwati
Herald Reporter
The countdown to the 23rd COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit has officially begun with the signing of the host agreement between the Government of Burundi and the COMESA Secretariat.
Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, Ambassador Albert Shingiro, and COMESA Secretary General, Mrs Chileshe Kapwepwe, signed the agreement in Bujumbura yesterday.
The summit will be held on October 31.
It will run under the theme “Accelerating Regional Integration through the Development of Regional Value Chains in Climate Resilient Agriculture, Mining, and Tourism.”
Ms Kapwepwe said the theme emphasises the need to address regional challenges.
“The theme acknowledges the need to tackle most of the challenges being faced by the continent, especially on climate resilient agriculture, regional value addition, moving away from the export of raw materials and the need to create additional wealth and jobs, especially in support of growing sectors such as mining and tourism,” she said.
Minister Shingiro cited the promotion of climate-smart agriculture.
During the forthcoming summit, President Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi will take over the chairmanship of COMESA from President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia.
Business entities will get the opportunity to engage with potential partners through side events and exhibitions at the summit, leading to increased regional trade and integration.
The COMESA Business Forum will run from October 28 to 30. This is a high-level platform that focuses on engaging public and private stakeholders to support the transformation of the COMESA region into competitive and sustainable growing economies.
The dialogue will be led by a Ministerial Round Table to discuss measures to accelerate the economic growth of COMESA Member States.
The recommendations of the Business Forum will form part of what will be presented at the summit.
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