e-comesa Newsletter 130
In the last issue of the e-comesa Newsletter 130
- Ministers of Trade from ESA and EU Meet in Brussels to Decide on an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)
Ministers responsible for Trade, Commerce and Industry from the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region will this weekend November 11th to 12th, 2007 meet their European counterparts at a decisive ESA-EC on going Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Negotiation in Brussels. COMESA Secretary General Mr Erastus Mwencha is currently in Brussels leading the ESA technical team and all ESA Member States are represented.
The discussions are focused mainly on two clusters: Development cooperation and Market Access, specifically the issue on Trade in Goods and rules of origin. The proposal from EC on an interim arrangement to avoid the distributions of trade starting the 1st January 2008 will be also discussed. The discussions are still going on and consideration will also be given to other clusters where progress has been made.
The discussions are focused mainly on two clusters: Development cooperation and Market Access, specifically the issue on Trade in Goods and rules of origin. The proposal from EC on an interim arrangement to avoid the distributions of trade starting the 1st January 2008 will be also discussed. The discussions are still going on and consideration will also be given to other clusters where progress has been made.
- CAADP Is Key In The Promotion of Regional Integration – COMESA
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has reiterated that the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) is a major programme for the continent and region in particular as the bloc steadily moves towards a Customs Union.
COMESA Officer in Charge who is also the Director of Administration Mrs Victoria Mwewa said in this regard, COMESA has made significant progress in ensuring the implementation of the CAADP agenda at both the national and regional level. At the national level, Rwanda signed its national CAADP Compact in March 2007 while Zambia, Malawi and Uganda are set to sign before the end of this year.
COMESA Officer in Charge who is also the Director of Administration Mrs Victoria Mwewa said in this regard, COMESA has made significant progress in ensuring the implementation of the CAADP agenda at both the national and regional level. At the national level, Rwanda signed its national CAADP Compact in March 2007 while Zambia, Malawi and Uganda are set to sign before the end of this year.
- Trade Promotion Organisations in COMESA Call for A Regional Trade Promotion Strategy
The First Meeting of the Trade Promotion Organisations, Trade Support Institutions and Trade Points in the COMESA region was held in Cairo, Egypt from 28 – 31 October 2007. The objective of the meeting was to develop a programme for strengthening the role of trade promotion organisations in promoting intra and extra-COMESA trade.
The meeting was attended by fifty delegates from Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Mauritius, Malawi, Seychelles, Swaziland, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe and representatives of the COMESA institutions, namely the COMESA Business Council (CBC), Federation of Association of Women in Business (FEMCOM) and the Eastern and Southern African Development Bank (PTA Bank). The co-operating partners in attendance included International Trade Centre (ITC) of Geneva, the Commonwealth Secretariat, USAID-ECA Hub and the Trade Facilitation Office of Canada (TFOC).
The meeting was attended by fifty delegates from Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Mauritius, Malawi, Seychelles, Swaziland, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe and representatives of the COMESA institutions, namely the COMESA Business Council (CBC), Federation of Association of Women in Business (FEMCOM) and the Eastern and Southern African Development Bank (PTA Bank). The co-operating partners in attendance included International Trade Centre (ITC) of Geneva, the Commonwealth Secretariat, USAID-ECA Hub and the Trade Facilitation Office of Canada (TFOC).
- Targeted programmes help women exporters get the assistance they need
Article by Juliet Nazziwa Musoke, Executive Director, Uganda Flower Exporters Association, formerly with the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs AssociationInternational Trade Forum.
I would like to speak on behalf of the women entrepreneurs that I have been representing for the past three or four years. The reality is that we are very small, we work in isolation and we produce numerous products.
How do we change our smallholder mentality to embrace regional and international trade? Our products are now facing competition at the local level because the market has been liberalized. We are seeing a lot of products similar to our own because we operate mainly in the handicrafts sector. How do we put our products on the regional and international markets? How do we change our products to suit international and regional markets? How do we stop working on our own?
I would like to speak on behalf of the women entrepreneurs that I have been representing for the past three or four years. The reality is that we are very small, we work in isolation and we produce numerous products.
How do we change our smallholder mentality to embrace regional and international trade? Our products are now facing competition at the local level because the market has been liberalized. We are seeing a lot of products similar to our own because we operate mainly in the handicrafts sector. How do we put our products on the regional and international markets? How do we change our products to suit international and regional markets? How do we stop working on our own?
