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Livit Mugejo
Correspondent
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has been at the forefront of development among its member states through a plethora of projects designed to simplify trade and allow for a free movement of both goods and services.
However, many have not taken advantage of these noble initiatives that are meant to assist ordinary people of our society, the so-called hustlers.
Members of the fourth estate have not also played a significant role in raising awareness of these noble projects being spearheaded by the organisation.
It is my view that Zimbabwe stands to benefit a lot from its membership to this important organisation, COMESA, whose aspirations dovetails with the Second Republic’s foreign policy thrust of economic diplomacy.
An important missing link is a robust advocacy and awareness media campaign to educate citizens on the potential benefits available to them through COMESA.
As a small contribution, we shall be highlighting some of the projects that are being implemented by the organisation for its members, including Zimbabwe.
For example, one of the crucial projects spearheaded by COMESA, which is in line with the Second Republic’s policy of leaving no place and no one behind, is the Small-Scale Cross Border Trade Initiative that seeks to increase trade flows in the region.
What is striking about this programme is its targeted group; small-scale cross border traders, who are usually sidelined in developmental projects.
With the programme, COMESA is seeking to promote specific trade facilitation policies and instruments for small-scale traders in the region.
The programme is meant to reform policy and governance systems through institutional capacity building, improved border infrastructures and better data collection and monitoring at the border posts, including at our own Chirundu Border Post with Zambia.
Sensitisation of these programmes is important as more small-scale cross border traders will benefit through the curbing of corruption, bribery and harassment at borders.
This is done by simplifying the procedure at the borders through the COMESA Trade Facilitation Programme.
Zimbabwe stands to benefit from the project as it reduces the costs or delays of both imports and exports at the borders by eliminating non-tariff barriers, digitalising free trade area systems, liberalising and improving border management.
Regional Enterprise Competitiveness and Access to Markets Programme (RECAMP) is another flagship project that our businesspeople should be made aware of.
The programme deepens regional economic integration in the COMESA region in line with our economic diplomacy aspirations.
As Zimbabwe seeks to increase private sector participation in sustainable regional and global value chains, COMESA should be our close partner as it shares similar objective among its members.
This programme targets to improve the business environment for SMEs and other firms in the selected value chains, like the leather industry, horticulture and agro-processing.
The importance of SMEs to every economy like Zimbabwe cannot be under-estimated.
Another important aspect to highlight is that COMESA has a lot of interventions to foster gender equality, empowerment of women and youth with its social integration projects being executed at national, regional and cross regional levels.
In true spirit of leaving no one behind, the organisation is creating a conducive environment, and support women in business.
It is supporting women in business with information, networking, market and access to finance opportunities, through the 50MAWSP – www.womenconnect.org.
The youth are also not left behind as they are taken on board through the Joint COMESA /AU-AGA Project on Youth Engagement in Democratic Governance and Socio-economic Development processes in Africa.
The project is implemented at the national, regional and continental levels under the subsidiarity principle between AU/AGA and COMESA.
Furthermore, the project is in line with the five thematic areas of the COMESA Youth Programme: Youth Participation in Leadership; Developing and supporting youth entrepreneurship; Enhancing youth participation in national socio-economic development and regional integration; Enhancing education, training, internship, mentorship and volunteerism for greater youth employability; and Research and Knowledge Management.
Nobody will be left behind with COMESA.
Let us embrace COMESA as part of the building blocks towards attaining our national aspirations through our Vision 2030 of becoming an upper-middle income economy and a prosperous society by 2030.
Livit Mugejo is the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and COMESA communications coordinator, but the views expressed here are personal.
Online Reporter