Traveling in Southern Africa for the past week has made me increasingly aware of the need for regional integration in Africa. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is one of the most integrated groups of countries on the continent and continues to make strides toward greater regional cooperation, but barriers to trade and investment are still higher than they could be. Continue reading
Tag Archives: COMESA
Uganda Update Spring 2009
In this issue:
- Uganda set to be among Africa’s strongest economies in 2009
- Uganda secures African Development Bank funding to improve local markets
- MTN Uganda launches mobile money transfer service
- Computer education initiative wins Intel award
- Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa launches African Seed Investment Fund
- GroFin to invest $20 million to support small businesses
- Uganda poised to become business outsourcing hub Continue reading
Free Trade Agreements for Africa
by Paul Fakes
After ECOWAS, the EAC, and COMESA got things rolling, Business Daily Africa reports that regional free trade agreements in Africa are expanding to more and more of the continent:
“Twenty six African countries seeking to merge their economies into a single trading bloc that controls a combined wealth of $624m and a market of 527m people moved to a definitive stage after their leaders approved plans to establish a free trade area early this week.” Continue reading
Uganda Update Fall 2008
Africa moved one step closer to full economic integration in October when representatives from three regional trade blocs, including six Heads of State, agreed at a summit hosted by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in Kampala, to form a new cross-regional free trade bloc and customs union. The new bloc, to be comprised of the 26 member nations of the Common Market of Southern and Eastern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), will create the largest free trade area on the African continent with a market of over 527 million people and a combined GDP of $624 billion.
