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AS regional trading markets are slowly opening up under improved protocols in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) has urged increased collaboration towards achieving accelerated economic recovery.
The need for enhanced regional collaboration dominated deliberations during the recent Comesa Business Council (CBC) virtual forum, which sought to build back better business and address industry constraints.
Over 150 stakeholder representatives participated and agreed on the need to increase support for industry recovery from the impact of Covid-19.
The need to promote inclusion of industry players along various ecosystems and value chains through digital transformation and engaging in key regulatory interventions to address manufacturing competitiveness in the region, also came out on top.
“We are glad to see markets slowly opening up with improved protocols that are allowing movement of persons and business travel,” said Ms Sandra Uwera, chief executive officer of the CBC in her opening remarks.
“Additional measures, however, are needed to accelerate this recovery process.’
Dr Kipyego Cheluget, assistant Comesa secretary general responsible for programmes affirmed this, stating that Comesa’s response strategy was built on the key pillars of strengthening market integration, industrialization and infrastructure development.
The forum also proposed several recommendations, which are expected to feed into the Comesa Policy Organs to be held this month as a build up to the Heads of States Summit slated for 23 November.
Among these is the need to scale up collaboration towards tackling illicit trade towards enhanced intra-Comesa trade and industrial competitiveness and enhancing public-private sector collaboration to improve industrial competitiveness.
Participants also stressed the need to adopt mutual recognition framework to reduce technical barriers to trade that result from multiplicity of compliance requirements with respect to standards.
The need to align Africa quality policy to national quality policies, establishing implementation framework for African regional standards and developing initiatives to provide support to SMEs within the agro-industry value chain, are also among the top priorities.
Egypt is set to assume the chairmanship of Comesa at a critical time due to the challenges brought about by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The situation has, however, ushered in new opportunities to reshape regional and international value chains and linking the regional value of the industrial sector to the comparative advantages available to Comesa member states, said Mr Yahya El Wathiq Bellah, who was guest of honour and is a top Egyptian government official.
“The current situation has presented some challenges, but also provides us with key lessons and opportunities that we can grasp as industries and associations to continue to drive industry competitiveness and private sector led growth within our countries and the Comesa region,” he said.
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