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Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa

Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa,COMESA

Establishment and member countries

History

Priorities and Objectives

The free trade area and common tariff structure 

? A Free Trade Area

? Common External Tariff

Institutions

Achievements

Economic situation

 

Establishment and member countries

The Treaty establishin

CO!E"A #as sined on $th %ovember &''( in )am*ala+ ,anda and #as ratified a

year later in -ilon#e+ !ala#i on .th /ecember &''01 !ember countries are Anola+

2urundi comoros+ /131 Cono+ Eritrea+ Ethio*ia+ )enya+ !adaascar+ !ala#i+

!auritius+ %amibia+ 3#anda+ "eycelles+ "udan+ "#a4iland+ Tan4ania+ ,anda+ 5ambia

and 5imbab#e1

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CO!E"A re*laced the former Preferential Trade Area 6PTA7 #hich had existed from

the earlier days of &'.&1 CO!E"A #as established 8as an oranisation of free

inde*endent soverein states #hich have areed to co9o*erate in develo*in their

natural and human resources for the ood of all their *eo*le18

Its main focus is on the formation of a lare economic and tradin unit that is ca*able of

overcomin some of the barriers that are faced by individual states1 2y the year :;;;+

all internal trade tariffs and barriers #ill be removed1 <ithin 0 years after that

CO!E"A #ill have introduced a common external tariff structure to deal #ith all third

 *arty trade and #ill have considerably sim*lified all *rocedures1 It has a #ide9ranin

series of other objectives #hich necessarily include in its *riorities the *romotion of

 *eace and security in the reion1

History of COMESA

At the first and second conferences of inde*endent African "tates+ held in Accra+ =hana+in A*ril &'$. and in Addis Ababa+ Ethio*ia in >une &';+ res*ectively+ economic

 *roblems to be faced by inde*endent Africa #ere discussed1 There #as a consensus thatthe smallness and framentation of *ost9colonial African national mar@ets #ouldconstitute a major obstacle to the diversification of economic activity+ a#ay from aconcentration on *roduction of a narro# rane of *rimary ex*orts+ to the creation of

modern and internationally com*etitive enter*rises+ #hich #ould satisfy domestic needsand meet ex*ort reuirements1 It #as+ therefore+ areed that African countries #hich hadained *olitical inde*endence+ should *romote economic co9o*eration amonthemselves1

T#o o*tions #ere advocated for the im*lementation of the interation stratey inAfricaB a7 the Pan9African+ all9embracin reional a**roach+ #hich envisaed theimmediate creation of a reional continental economic arranement and b7 theeora*hically narro#er a**roach that #ould have its roots at the sub9reional levelsand build on sub9reional co9o*eration arranements to achieve eora*hically #iderforms of co9o*eration arranements1

The majority of the countries favoured the narro#er sub9reional a**roach1 2ased onthis+ the ,nited %ations Economic Commission for Africa 6ECA7 *ro*osed the divisionof the continent into four sub9reionsB Eastern and "outhern+ Central+ <est and %orthAfrica1 The CommissionDs *ro*osals #ere ado*ted by the OA, Conference of Heads of"tate and =overnment1 All inde*endent African "ates #ere enjoined to ta@e+ durin the&'.;Ds+ all necessary ste*s to strenthen existin sub9reional economic co9o*erativerou*ins and+ as necessary+ establish ne# ones so as to cover the #hole continent sub9reion by sub9reion and *romote co9ordination and harmoni4ation amon therou*ins for the radual establishment of an African Economic Community by the endof the century1

The oriins of the CO!E"A can be traced as far bac@ as the mid9sixties1 2efore the-aos Plan of Action and the Final Act of -aos #ere ado*ted+ the countries of Easternand "outhern Africa had already initiated the *rocess to#ards creatin an Eastern and

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"outhern African co9o*eration arranement1

In October &'$+ the ECA convened a ministerial meetin of the then *oliticallyinde*endent states of eastern and southern Africa to consider *ro*osals for theestablishment of a mechanism for the *romotion of sub9reional economic interation1The meetin+ #hich #as held in -usa@a+ 5ambia+ recommended the creation of an

Economic Community of Eastern and "outhern African states1 To achieve this objective+the meetin also recommended that an Interim Council of !inisters+ assisted by anInterim Economic Committee of officials+ should be set u* to neotiate the treaty andinitiate *rorammes on economic co9o*eration+ *endin the com*letion of neotiationson the treaty1

At the first meetin of the interim !inisterial Council held in Addis Ababa+ in !ay&'+ the Terms of Association to overn the interim arranements before the sinin ofthe formal Treaty #ere ado*ted and sined by 2urundi+ Ethio*ia+ )enya+ !adaascar+!ala#i+ !auritius+ 3#anda+ "omalia+ Tan4ania+ and 5ambia1 In %ovember &'+ ameetin of the Interim Economic Committee of officials recommended an interim

 *roramme of action for im*lementation #hich #ould be interated into the Treaty#hen a**roved1 Parallel #ith these develo*ments+ t#o other orani4ations #ereestablished+ the Pan9African Freedom !ovement in East+ Central and "outhern Africa6PAF!EC"A7+ and the conference of East and Central African states1 Althouh these#ere mainly *olitical in their orientation+ their membershi* extended beyond the sub9reion and they included in their activities *rorammes on economic co9o*eration1

In the &';Ds+ the need for a sub9reional economic arranements became more urentas a result of three major develo*ments1 First+ the colla*se of the federations in Easternand Central Africa reduced *olitical co9o*eration amonst "tates of the reion and thisneeded to be addressed1 "econd+ the destabili4ation of the economies of the southernAfrican "tates by a*artheid "outh Africa made it necessary to create+ as a matterurency+ a sub9reional orani4ation #hich #ould be an economic counter#eiht to"outh Africa1 Third+ des*ite the failure of earlier efforts to establish a sub9reionaleconomic co9o*eration arranement+ the countries of Eastern and "outhern Africareconised that there #as no alternative to reducin their traditional economicde*endence on the industriali4ed countries of the north and that this could only be donethrouh the ado*tion of self9sustainin develo*ment measures in all sectors1

In !arch &'. the First Extra9ordinary meetin of !inisters of Trade+ Finance andPlannin met in -usa@a1 The meetin recommended the creation of a sub9reionaleconomic community+ beinnin #ith a sub9reional trade area #hich #ould beradually u*raded over a ten9year *eriod to a common mar@et until the community had

 been established1 To this end+ the meetin ado*ted the -usa@a /eclaration of Intent andCommitment to the Establishment of a Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and "outhernAfricaG and created an Inter9overnmental %eotiatin Team on the Treaty for theestablishment of the PTA1 The meetin also areed on an indicative time9table for the#or@ of the Interovernmental %eotiatin Team1

After the *re*aratory #or@ had been com*leted a meetin of Heads of "tate and=overnment #as convened in -usa@a on :&st /ecember &'.& at #hich the Treatyestablishin the PTA #as sined1 The Treaty came into force on (;th "e*tember &'.:after it had been ratified by more than seven sinatory states as *rovided for in Article$; of the Treaty1

The PTA Treaty envisaed its transformation into a Common !ar@et and+ as such+ theTreaty establishin CO!E"A #as sined on $th %ovember &''( in )am*ala+ ,anda

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and #as ratified a year later in -ilon#e+ !ala#i on .th /ecember &''01

The *rocess of economic interation in Eastern and "outhern Africa has+ therefore+ not been e*isodic+ but rather systematic+ follo#in a loical *roression on a ste* by ste* basis1 Firstly+ a Preferential Trade Area #as established and o*erated for over a decade+#hich #as then transformed into a common mar@et1 The third *hase #ill involve the

eventual establishment of an Economic Community1

Priorities and Objectives according to the reaty

The Treaty establishin CO!E"A binds toether free inde*endent soverein "tates#hich have areed to co9o*erate in ex*loitin their natural and human re9 sources forthe common ood of all their *eo*les1 In attainin that oal+ CO!E"A reconises that

 *eace+ security and stability are basic factors in *rovidin investment+ develo*ment+trade and reional economic interation1 Ex*erience has sho#n that civil strives+

 *olitical instabilities and cross9border dis*utes in the reion have seriously Affected theability of the countries to develo* their individual economies as #ell as their ca*acity to

 *artici*ate and ta@e full advantae of the reional interation arranement under

CO!E"A1 It has no# been fully acce*ted that #ithout *eace+ security and stabilitythere cannot be a satisfactory level of investment even by local entre*reneurs1

Therefore+ in *ursuit of the aims and objectives stated in Article ( of the CO!E"ATreaty+ and in conformity #ith the Treaty for the Establishment of the African EconomicCommunity sined at Abuja+ %ieria on (rd >une &''&+ the member "tates of CO!E"Ahave areed to adhere to the follo#in *rinci*lesB

6a7 euality and inter9inde*endence of the member "tates

6b7 solidarity and collective self9reliance amon the member "tates

6c7 inter9"tate co9o*eration+ harmonisation of *olicies and interation of *rorammes

amon the member "tates6d7 non9aression bet#een the member "tates

6e7 reconition+ *romotion and *rotection of human and *eo*le8s rihts in accordance#ith the *rovisions of the African Charter on Human and Peo*le8s 3ihts

6f7 accountability+ economic justice and *o*ular *artici*ation in develo*ment

67 the reconition and observance of the rule of la#

6h7 the *romotion and sustenance of a democratic system of overnance in each member"tate

6i7 the maintenance of reional *eace and stability throuh the *romotion and

strenthenin of ood neihbourliness and

 j7 the *eaceful settlement of dis*utes amon the member "tates+ the active co9o*eration bet#een neihbourin countries and the *romotion of a *eaceful environment as a *re9reuisite for their economic develo*ment1

CO!E"A is an all9embracin develo*ment oranisation involvin co9o*eration in alleconomic and social "ectors1 Ho#ever+ due to resources Constraints+ the im*lemen9tation of activities and *rorammes #ill be *rioritised to areas #here the reatestim*acts can be made1 To that end+ the first CO!E"A Authority of Heads of "tate and=overnment+ at its meetin held in -ilon#e+ !ala#i from .th to 'th /ecember &''0+ado*ted the follo#in five *riorities to be the basis of CO!E"A8s focus for the next

five to ten years18

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? sinificant and sustained increases in *roductivity in industry+ manufacturin+ *rocessin and aro9industries to *rovide com*etitive oods as the basis for cross9 border trade and to create more #ealth+ more jobs and more incomes for the *eo*leof the reion

? increase aricultural *roduction+ #ith s*ecial em*hasis on the joint develo*ment

of la@e and river basins so as to reduce de*endence on rain9fed ariculture and ne# *rorammes on food security at the *rovincial or district levels+ national andreional levels

? develo*ment of trans*ort and communications infrastructures and services #iths*ecial em*hasis on lin@in the rural areas #ith the rest of the economy in eachcountry as #ell as lin@in the member "tates

? ne# *rorammes for trade *romotion+ trade ex*ansion and trade facilitationes*ecially eared to the *rivate sector+ so as to enable the business community tota@e maximum advantae of the Common !ar@et+ and

? develo*ment of com*rehensive+ reliable and u* to date information data basescoverin all sectors of the economy includin industry+ enery+ environment+ariculture trans*ort+ communications+ mvestment and ftnance+ trade+ health andhuman resources to form the basis for sound investment decisions and macro9econoinic *olicy formulation and *rorammin1

The aims and objectives of CO!E"A have been desined so as to remove the structuraland institutional #ea@nesses in the member "tates by *oolin their resources toether inorder to sustain their develo*ment efforts either individually or collectively1 These areas follo#sB

? to attain sustainable ro#th and develo*ment of the member "tates by

 *romotin a more balanced and harmonious develo*ment of its *roduction andmar@etin structures

? to *romote joint develo*ment in all fields of economic activity and the jointado*tion of macro 9economic *olicies and *rorammes to raise the standard oflivin of its *eo*les+ and to foster closer relations amon its member "tates

? to co9o*erate in the creation of an enablin environment for forein+ cross9 border and domestic investment+ includin the joint *romotion of research andada*tation of science and technoloy for develo*ment

? to co9o*erate in the *romotion of *eace+ security and stability amon themember "tates in order to enhance economic develo*ment in the reion

? to co9o*erate in strenthenin the relations bet#een the Common !ar@et and therest of the #orld and the ado*tion of common *ositions in international fora and

? to contribute to#ards the establishment+ *roress and the realisation of theobjectives of the African Economic Community1

The CO!E"A aenda is to dee*en and broaden the interation *rocess amon member"tates throuh the ado*tion of more com*rehensive trade liberation measures such asthe com*lete elimination of tariff and non9tariff barriers to trade and elimination ofcustoms duties throuh the free movement of ca*ital+ labour+ oods and the riht ofestablishment by *romotin standardised technical s*ecifications+ standardisation anduality control throuh the elimination of controls on the movement of oods and

individuals by standardisin taxation rates 6includin value added tax and exciseduties7+ and conditions reardin industrial co9o*eration+ *articularly on com*any la#s+

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intellectual *ro*erty rihts and investment la#s throuh the *romotion of the ado*tionof a sinle currency and the establishment of a !onetary ,nion and throuh theado*tion of a Common External Tariff 6CET71

2y areein to the above+ member "tates have areed on the need to create andmaintainB

? a full free trade area uaranteein the free movement of oods and services *roduced #ithin CO!E"A and the removal of all tariffs and non9tariff barriers

? a customs union under #hich oods and services im*orted from non9CO!E"Acountries #ill attract an areed sinle tariff all CO!E"A "tates

? free movement of ca*ital and investment su**orted by the ado*tion of commoninvestment *ractices $; as to create a more favourable investment climate for theentire CO!E"A reionB

? a radual establishment of a *ayments union based on the CO!E"A CleaninHouse and the eventual establishment of a common monetary union #ith a common

currency? the ado*tion of a common visa arranement+ includin the riht of establishmentleadin eventually to free movement of bona fide *ersons1

he free trade area and common tariff structure

A !ree rade Area

CO!E"A is to establish a Free Trade Area 6FTA7 by the year :;;; and all countries aresu**osed to have reduced tariffs by .; as at October &''1 In fact+ only $ countries6Comoros+ Eritrea+ "udan+ ,anda and 5imbab#e7 have reached this level+ #ith )enya+!ala#i and !auritius on ; and *rocessin the .; level1 Tan4ania is also currently

 *rocessin the .; tariff reduction+ #hich is no# before *arliament1 All othercountries+ exce*t Anola+ Ethio*ia and 5aire 6#hich have yet to reduced tariffs by the; reduction rate7+ and those countries #hich still enjoy a deroation from *ublishinthese tariffs 6-esotho+ "#a4iland and %amibia7 have reduced tariffs by either ; or;1

The *roblems some countries face are that they are a**lyin tariff reduction rates toalready lo# national rates+ leadin to ineuitable revenue losses and ma@in ex*orts tocountries #ith hiher national rates less com*etitive1 There is also a *roblem #itha**lication of the tariff reduction *roramme at different staes by different countries1Althouh these *roblems are seen as tem*orary+ if the FTA is achieved by :;;;+ and canalso be addressed throuh the *rinci*le of reci*rocity+ the CO!E"A "ecretariat needs to

continue to assess the revenue im*lications the a**lication of the tariff reduction *roramme is havin on individual CO!E"A countries and+ #here *ossible+ suest#ays in #hich reduced revenues from reduced tariff rates can be com*ensated for+ ifonly in the short9term and in this area the "ecretariat may reuire the assistance ofshort9term technical assistance in*uts1

A further *roblem to be addressed is the inherent inconsistencies in the im*lementationof the FTA of CO!E"A+ the *ro*osed "A/C FTA and the C2I tariff reduction

 *roramme+ althouh this may not constitute a *roblem+ de facto+ as if all CO!E"Acountries abide by the areed timetable of im*lementin a CO!E"A FTA only t#ocountries in "A/C 6"outh Africa and 2ots#ana7 #ill not have im*lemented a FTA1

Ho#ever+ this is an area in #hich the CO!E"A "ecretariat #ill need to #or@ closely#ith the "A/C "ecretariat to ensure that im*lementation of the res*ective free trade

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 *rotocols are not contradictory and aain this is an area in #hich the CO!E"A and"A/C "ecretariats may need to reuest the su**ort of short9term technical assistancein*uts1

One of the *rinci*le mechanisms throuh #hich CO!E"A member "tates #ill fulfil the *rovisions of the CO!E"A Treaty to sim*lify and harmonise their customs *rocedures

and documents+ to standardise the collection of reliable+ accurate and u*9to9date tradestatistics+ to facilitate trade in the reion is throuh the im*lementation of theAutomated "ystem for Customs /ata and !anaement 6A"C,/A7 and EuroTrace1

The objective of A"C,/AJEuroTrace is to assist the business community to clearoods faster from customs areas+ ma@e available u*9to9date and accurate internationaltrade statistics+ modernise customs administrations and+ throuh im*roved efficiencies+increase the revenues of CO!E"A member "tates1

A"C,/A is bein im*lemented in &( CO!E"A countries 62urundi+ Comoros+ /3Cono+ !adaascar+ !auritius+ 3#anda+ "udan and 5imbab#e7+ #ith formal reuestsfor the system havin been received from !ala#i+ "#a4iland and 5ambia and *rojects

under#ay in Eritrea+ Ethio*ia+ %amibia+ Tan4ania and ,anda1

The assistance of the donor community+ at the level of installin A"C,/AJEuroTraceat the national level 6involvin su**ly of com*uter hard#are and initial technicalassistance7 and at the reional level 6throuh the *rovision of reional su**ort to thenational systems from the CO!E"A "ecretariat7 is #elcome1

3elated to the establishment of a Free Trade Area is the elimination of %on9Tariff2arriers 6%T2s7 and the sim*lification of CO!E"A 3ules of Oriin and Kalue AddedCriteria1

"teady *roress has been made in elimination of non9tariff barriers 6%T2s7 such as in

liberalisation of im*ort licensin+ removal of forein exchane restrictions and taxes onforein exchane+ removal of im*ort and ex*ort uotas+ removal of road bloc@s+ easinof Customs formalities+ extendin times border *osts are o*en+ etc1 There are+ ho#ever+still a number of im*rovements #hich should be made+ #hich should ma@e intra9reional trade easier+ such as im*rovin the trans*ort and communications structures+ease visa reuirements+ im*rove information+ and access to information on tradeo**ortunities+ further reduce customs and bureaucratic *rocedures at border crossinsetc1 !any of these 6such as im*rovin the trans*ort and communications infrastructure7#ill reuire sinificant investment and #ill only be achieved over a medium to lonterm time scale and is an area in #hich donor su**ort and forein *rivate sectorinvestment #ill be needed for some time to come1

One s*ecific %T2 is the amount of documentation reuired to move oods bet#eenCO!E"A countries1 To assist #ith the removal of this %T2+ by reducin themulti*licity of customs documents+ CO!E"A has desined the CO!E"A Customs/ocument+ or CO!E"A9C/+ #hich #as scheduled for introduction by all CO!E"Amember "tates by &st >uly &''1

The "ecretariat is currently #or@in on the identification of other remainin non9tariff barriers and dra#in u* measures on #ays in #hich these %T2s can be resolved and theassistance of the *rivate sector and the donor community in identifyin %T2s+recommendin #ays in #hich they can be reduced or removed and collaboration #ithCO!E"A on the *rocess of their removal #ould be of benefit to the *rocess of

economic ro#th in the reion1CO!E"A has been #or@in on levels of value9added content and CO!E"A 3ules of

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Oriin for some time no#1 Cro#n Aents carried out a study on these issues in &''0 andrecommended introducin a 0; value added on ex9factory *rice basis and deletin the

 *rovision for :$ value added for oods of *articular im*ortance to economicdevelo*ment1 Althouh these recommendations #ere acce*ted by CO!E"A+ the"ecretariat is in the *rocess of underta@in a ne# study on value added and rules of

oriin because there are some member "tates #hich are not comfortable #ith the currentrules of oriin #hich ive undue em*hasis on value added content1

The vie# of the "ecretariat is that rules of oriin should not be based on an added valuecriterion alone1 In fact firms #ill try to reduce added value+ throuh reducin costs and

 becomin more efficient and so rules of oriin based on just added value may becounter9*roductive in *romotin intra9reional trade1 Added value rules are alsoarbitrary in nature+ com*lex to a**ly and introduce a hih ris@ of fraud1 =iven thesedra#bac@s the rules of oriin study *ro*osed by the CO!E"A "ecretariat is not belimited to added value criteria only and #ill address other issues of reional trade1

The CO!E"A "ecretariat #ould #elcome donor assistance in the im*lementation of

the study on value added content+ rules of oriin and related to*ics1Common E"ternal ariff

CO!E"A has reached an areement to im*lement a Common External Tariff by theyear :;;0 and as this currently stands the CET #ill be ;+ $+ &$ and (; on ca*italoods+ ra# materials+ intermediate oods and final oods res*ectively1

There are still a number of obstacles to be faced reardin the CET+ not least on thelevels+ on com*liance+ on identifyin alternative sources of revenue #here revenue losscould result from ado*tin the CET+ on definin the modalities of administerin theCET and the cateorisation of oods into the *ro*osed CET structure1

The CO!E"A "ecretariat #ould #elcome the su**ort of donors+ and the involvementof the *rivate sector+ in *re*arin studies #hich come u* #ith solutions to theseobstacles in the im*lementation of a CO!E"A CET1

COMESA institutions

There are four orans of CO!E"A #hich have the *o#er to ta@e decisions on behalf ofCO!E"A+ these beinB the Authority of Heads of "tate and =overnment the Council of!inisters the Court of >ustice and the Committee of =overnors of Central 2an@s1 TheInterovernmental Committee+ the Technical Committees+ the "ecretariat and theConsultative Committee ma@e recommendations to the Council of !inisters+ #hich inturn ma@e recommendations to the Authority1

? he Authority+ made u* of Heads of "tate and =overnment is the su*remePolicy Oran of the Common !ar@et and is res*onsible for the eneral *olicy+direction and control of the *erformance of the executive functions of the Common!ar@et and the achievement of its aims and objectives1 The decisions and directivesof the Authority are by consensus and are bindin on all subordinate institutions+other than the Court of >ustice+ on matters #ithin its jurisdiction+ as #ell as on themember "tates1

? he Council of Ministers 6Council7 is the second hihest Policy Oran ofCO!E"A1 It is com*osed of !inisters desinated by the member "tates1 TheCouncil is res*onsible for ensurin the *ro*er functionin of CO!E"A in

accordance #ith the *rovisions of the Treaty1 The Council ta@es *olicy decisions onthe *rorammes and activities of the CO!E"A+ includin the monitorin and

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revie#in of its financial and administrative manaement1 As *rovided for in theTreaty+ Council decisions are made by consensus+ failin #hich+ by a t#o9thirdsmajority of the members of the Council1

? he COMESA Court of #ustice is the judicial oran of CO!E"A+ havin jurisdiction to adjudicate u*on all matters #hich may be referred to it *ursuant to

the CO!E"A Treaty1 "*ecifically+ it ensures the *ro*er inter*retation anda**lication of the *rovisions of the Treaty and it adjudicates any dis*utes that mayarise amon the member "tates reardin the inter*retation and a**lication of the

 *rovisions of the Treaty1 The decisions of the Court are bindin and final1 /ecisionsof the Court on the inter*retation of the *rovisions of the CO!E"A Treaty have

 *recedence over decisions of national courts1 The Court+ #hen actin #ithin it jurisdiction+ is inde*endent of the Authority and the Council1 It is headed by aPresident and consists of six additional judes a**ointed by the Authority1Consideration is bein iven to establishin the Court of >ustice in the not toodistant future1

? he Committee of $overnors of Central %anks is em*o#ered under theTreaty to determine the maximum debt and credit limits to the CO!E"A ClearinHouse+ the daily interest rate for outstandin debt balances and the "taff 3ules forClearin House staff1 It also monitors+ and ensures the *ro*er im*lementation of the!onetary and Financial Co9o*eration *rorammes11

? he &nter'governmental Committee is a multi9disci*linary body com*osed of *ermanent secretaries from the member "tates in the fields of trade and customs+ariculture+ industry+ trans*ort and communications+ administrative and budetarymatters and leal affairs1 /ecisions of the Committee are by a sim*le majority1 Itsmain functions includeB

o the develo*ment of *rorammes and action *lans in all the sectors of co9o*eration+ exce*t in the finance and monetary sector

o the monitorin and @ee*in under constant revie# and ensurin *ro*erfunctionin and develo*ment of the Common !ar@et and

o overseein the im*lementation of the *rovisions of the Treaty and+ for that *ur*ose+ reuestin a technical committee to investiate any *articular matter1

? There are &: echnical Committees+ namely+ on Administrative and 2udetary!atters on Ariculture on Com*rehensive Information "ystems on Enery onFinance and !onetary Affairs on Industry on -abour+ Human 3esources and"ocial Affairs on -eal Affairs on %atural 3esources and Environment on

Tourism and <ildlife on Trade and Customs and on Trans*ort andCommunications1 The Technical Committees are res*onsible for the *re*aration ofcom*rehensive im*lementation *rorams and monitorin their im*lementation andthen ma@in recommendations to the Council1

? he Consultative Committee of the %usiness Community and other &nterest

$rou(s is res*onsible for *rovidin a lin@ and facilitatin dialoue bet#een the business community and other interest rou*s and other orans of CO!E"A

? he Secretariat is headed by a "ecretary =eneral #ho is a**ointed by theAuthority for a term of five years and is eliible for re9a**ointment for a furtherterm of five years1 The basic function of the "ecretariat is to *rovide technical

su**ort and advisory services to the member "tates in the im*lementation of theTreaty1 To this end+ it underta@es research and studies as a basis for im*lementin

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the decisions ado*ted by the Policy Orans1 The various activities of the "ecretariatencom*assB Ariculture Trans*ort and CommunicationsB Industry and EneryTrade and Customs !onetary Co9o*eration and Administration1 The Office of the"ecretary =eneral includes the -eal Office+ Technical Co9o*eration+ <omen in/evelo*ment and an Audit ,nit1

An im*ortant CO!E"A innovation is that the Common !ar@et Treaty establishes aCourt of >ustice to oversee the leal relations #ithin CO!E"A1 Persons resident in theCommon !ar@et may contest the leality of acts of Common !ar@et institutions as#ell as that of member "tates1 In effect+ the Treaty establishes a Lleal communityL+

 bein #hereby entre*reneurs #ill be uaranteed that business decisions and transactionsare not unduly frustrated by unnecessaty bureaucratic interventions1

The CO!E"A Court of >ustice #ill inter aliaB 6a7 have jurisdiction to adjudicate u*onall matters #hich may be referred to it *ursuant to the CO!E"A Treaty and 6b7 have

 jurisdiction to hear dis*utes bet#een CO!E"A and its em*loyees that arise out of thea**lication and inter*retation of the "taff 3ules and 3eulations of the "ecretariat or the

terms and conditions of em*loyment of the em*loyees of CO!E"A+ and to determineclaims by any *erson aainst CO!E"A or its institutions for acts of their servants orem*loyees in the *erformance of their duties1

"everal institutions have been created to *romote sub9reional co9o*eration anddevelo*ment1 These includeB

? The CO!E"A Trade and /evelo*ment 2an@ in %airobi+ )enya

? The CO!E"A Clearin House in Harare+ 5imbab#e

? The CO!E"A Association of Commercial 2an@s in Harare+ 5imbab#e

? The CO!E"A -eather Institute in Ethio*ia

? The CO!E"A 3e9Insurance Com*any 65EP93E7 in %airobi+ )enya

Further initiatives exist to *romote cross border investment+ form a common industrial *olicy and introduce a monetary harmonisation *roramme1

COMESA Achievements

? CO!E"A+ as #ell as is *redecessor the PTA+ has achieved a lot in the area oftrade+ customs+ trans*ort+ develo*ment finance and technical co9o*eration1Im*ressive *roress has also been made in the *roductive sectors of industry andariculture1

? Trade facilitation and trade liberali4ation measures are bearin fruit1 Intra9

CO!E"A trade has ro#n from ,"M.(0 million in &'.$ to ,"M &1 billion in &''0+an annual ro#th rate of &0+ and studies indicate that this can increase to about,"M0 billion annually1 The challene facin CO!E"A is to ex*loit this *otentialfurther1

? As a result of CO!E"A traffic facilitation measures+ trans*ort costs have beenreduced by a factor of about :$ and efforts are under#ay to reduce them further1

? In the sector of telecommunications+ s*ecial em*hasis has been *laced onnet#or@ develo*ment to enable direct telecommunication lin@s throuh morereliable infrastructure in order to avoid third country transit systems+ #hich *rove to

 be very costly1

? CO!E"A has established several im*ortant institutions includin the PTA Tradeand /evelo*ment 2an@+ the CO!E"A Clearin House+ the CO!E"A 3e9insurance

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Com*any and the CO!E"A -eather and -eather Products Institute1

? The PTA 2an@ has+ over the years+ been very active in *romotin investmentsand *rovidin trade financin facilities1 The 2an@8s cumulative *roject a**rovals+&''$9&''+ stand at ,""M&0. million and cumulative trade finance activities+ &'': 9&'' totalled ,"M(0$ million1

? A number of decisions have been ta@en to ma@e the CO!E"A Clearin Housemore res*onsive to the current needs of member "tates+ es*ecially the *rivate sector+includin the introduction of the CO!E"A /ollar to re*lace the ,APTA as the ne#,nit of Account of the Clearin House1

? The 3e9Insurance Com*any 65EP93E7 has+ since its etablishment in &'':+ beenable to carve out a reasonable share of the reional insurance business and is no#transactin business in some nineteen 6&'7 countries1 The share ca*ital has risen to,"M1; million1 2y the end of &''$+ the *remium income reali4ed had increased to,"M1$ million1 T#o additional member "tates acceded to the 5EP93E Areementin Auust &''1 This sho#s the reat business *otential of the CO!E"A reion in

terms of re9insurance1

? CO!E"A no# reconi4es that in order to increase levels of intra9reional trade+there is a need to address the reulatory and *olicy as*ects of trans*ort andcommunications to ma@e the movement of oods+ services and *eo*le bet#eencountries in the reion easier and chea*er to create a leal frame#or@ and enablinenvironment #ithin #hich *rivate sector business can o*erate effectively in thereion+ and to harmoni4e macro9 economic and monetary *olicies1

? CO!E"A also reconi4es the need to *romote investment in the reion andaddresses this issue throuh facilitation of bilateral areements *romotin ex*ortdrives by individual member "tates+ and identifyin s*ecific *rojects #hich have the

 *otential to act as rn#th *oles bet#een t#o or more member "tates1

Economic situation

Africa as a #hole #ill enter the next millennium facin hue economic+ social and *olitical challenes1 Paramount amon these are a hostile external trade environment+ alare debt burden and reducin levels of Official /evelo*ment Aid 6O/A71

,* until the late &'.;s and early &'';s most CO!E"A countries follo#ed an economicsystem #hich involved the state in all as*ects of *roduction+ distribution and mar@etin+thus denyin the *rivate sector an economic role to *lay+ exce*t as sho*@ee*ers+ and

 *romoted im*ort substitution and subsidised consum*tion1 The theory #as thatsuccessful emerin industries could be identified by the state and nurtured+ throuh asystem of subsidies+ rants and *rotection from forein com*etition behind a hih tariff#all+ and that these industries could then ro# to a si4e from #hich they could com*eteaainst forein firms1 This did not actually ha**en as the domestic mar@ets #ere toosmall+ in terms of *urchasin *o#er+ for industries to realise economies of scale lac@ ofcom*etition resulted in *oor uality oods bein *roduced forein direct investment#as actively discouraed+ resultin in insufficient levels of investment ta@in *lace in

 both ca*ital and labour and in lo# levels of technoloy transfer and a lac@ ofcom*lementarity bet#een domestic industries1

Initially+ im*ort substitution *rorammes #ere financed from domestic earnins+ such asrevenues realised from sale of *rimary aricultural commodities and minerals1 As levels

of revenue from these sources declined+ o#in to declinin terms of trade and reducedefficiencies in *roduction systems+ these countries started borro#in on #estern ca*ital

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mar@ets+ and from the <orld 2an@ and I!F+ to maintain *revious levels ofconsum*tion1 As many of the countries concerned #here at this stae considered to bemiddle9income countries+ they borro#ed at commercial rates1 The borro#ed money #asusually not used to im*rove *roduction so real levels of =/P continued to decline #hileex*enditure levels+ #hich had by then risen sinificantly+ as a result of hiher debt

servicin *ayments+ continued to increase1=overnments of CO!E"A countries faced these economic crises by continuin to

 borro# on international mar@ets *lacin heavy restrictions on forein currencytransactions to try to reduce ca*ital fliht *ein the value of the local currencyaainst freely convertible forein currencies artificially hih to reduce costs of essentialim*orts 6such as fuel #hich in itself caused crises in the early &';s7 usin revenuesfrom *arastatal industries to finance the *ublic sector recurrent budet+ leavin littlerevenue for re9investment in these strateic industries+ resultin in further declines in

 *roduction reducin the im*ort bill by restrictin by statute items #hich could beim*orted and heavily subsidisin all as*ects of domestic aricultural *roduction to

 *romote self9sufficiency in food *roduction+ #hich only served to ma@e ariculturesectors even more inefficient than they already #ere1

This *ac@ae of economic *olicies has contributed sinificantly to the economic declineof the reion and to AfricaDs ross domestic investment havin fallen consistently forthe last :; years+ bein currently recorded at & *er cent of =/P1 Assumin that aminimum investment ratio of :; *er cent of =/P is needed to cover de*reciation andre*air costs+ current levels of ross domestic investment leave no room to finance

 *roduction ex*ansion+ *roductivity im*rovement or diversification1 The net result isdecreasin com*etitiveness on the #orld mar@et and loss of mar@et share1

Forein direct investment 6F/I7 in Africa is neliible+ at a**roximately & *er cent of=/P1 This re*resents ;1. *er cent of all F/I and :1& *er cent of F/I oin into alldevelo*in countries1 The lo# levels of F/I bein attracted by Africa confirms+ amonother thins+ the reionDs exclusion from the intra9firm net#or@+ #hich accounts for thelarest contribution to ro#th of #orld trade+ #ith intra9firm trade bein+ to a lareextent+ fuelled by F/I1

The CO!E"A reion 6excludin "outh Africa7 is not yet in a *osition to attract F/I and *ortfolio funds at a level #hich #ould result in a sinificant economic im*act+ becauseof the real and *erceived ris@s associated #ith investment in the reion+ and because ofthe *erce*tion that returns on investment in Africa are lo#1 3is@9related as*ects ofinvestment are affected by both *olitical and commercial factors #hich may threateninvested ca*ital andJor dividend returns1 Profitability of investment relates *rimarily to

mar@et si4e and the cost of doin business+ the latter larely influenced by *roductivityand effectiveness of infrastructure1

As reards mar@et si4e+ Africa has many of the #orldDs smaller states+ #ith countries#ith a *o*ulation of less than one million+ and ( #ith a *o*ulation of less than &;million1 Only 0 sub9"aharan countries have a *o*ulation of more than (; million1"outhern Africa+ #ithout "outh Africa+ has a total =/P of around ,"M(; billion 6&''(7+about a uarter of "outh AfricaDs *resent =/P of ,"M&:; billion and less than half ofIsraelDs =/P of ,"M'1 billion 6&''(71 "imilarly+ the current total =/P of theCO!E"A reion of :( countries is only around ,"M'; billion+ less than that of "outhAfrica and less than half of 2eliumDs1

 %et external financin to all African countries includin "outh Africa+ is not ex*ected toexceed ,"M:; billion in &''+ #hich is in star@ contrast to the situation in other

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develo*in reions+ #here F/I has become the dominant vehicle for the transfer ofresources from the rich to the *oorer countries1

The above *roblems are further com*ounded by the reionDs terms of trade #hich havedeclined by over &$ *er cent since1 The share of the reionDs trade in the #orld mar@etshas also fallen by half since &'; and accounts for less than &1$ *er cent of all #orld

trade+ *lacin sub9"aharan Africa at the very marins of the lobal economy1

In terms of African trade+ there has been little structural transformation+ #ith trade beindominated by ex*orts of *rimary commodities1 In &''(+ . *er cent of AfricaDs foreinexchane earnins #ere derived from *rimary commodities+ includin crude *etroleum+#hereas ( *er cent of the total value of im*orts #as accounted for by manufacturedoods1

Africa 6includin "outh Africa7 contributes no more than ( *er cent to lobally tradedoods and its share of #orld trade has been declinin steadily since &'.;1 2et#een &'.;and &''(+ #hen #orld trade doubled in value+ AfricaDs external trade remained at aboutthe same level in absolute terms1 The share of sub9"aharan Africa in #orld ex*orts

declined from :1$ in &'; to & in &'';+ #hile its share in develo*in countryex*orts declined from &(1: to 01' in the same *eriod1 "ince then the share of thecontinent in lobal trade has fallen to just over :1

The manitude of CO!E"ADs external indebtedness is also a source of serious concern1The external debt of the CO!E"A reion has increased t#enty9fold since &'; anddebt service ratios #hich+ in &';+ #ere insinificant+ averaed 0$ *er cent of ex*ortearnins in &'.'9';+ ma@in the reion one of the most heavily indebted in the #orld1<hile member "tates borro#ed heavily to maintain incomes and investments+ thecolla*se of their ex*ort earnins undermined attem*ts to reduce their debts1 /ebt reliefto the CO!E"A reion+ and sub9"aharan Africa as a #hole+ has been limited in relation

to the manitude of the *roblem and inflo#s of Official /evelo*ment Assistance 6O/A7continue to decline1 The areate external debt o#ed by sub9"aharan Africa+ includin"outh Africa+ #as ,"M(&. billion in &''0+ com*ared to external financin to all Africancountries of about ,"M&$ billion in &''1

On the *roduction side+ both the aricultural and industrial sectors have been in decline1For many CO!E"A countries+ ariculture constitutes bet#een $; and *er cent of=/P but the ro#th of aricultural out*ut+ at an averae of : *er cent *er year over thelast three decades+ has barely matched that of *o*ulation ro#th+ so has not contributedeffectively to sustainable ro#th and develo*ment1 Aricultural ex*orts have declined+

 budetary allocations to ariculture have remained small and inadeuate and an anti9 *oor bias in aricultural *olicy across much of the reion+ notably throuh over9taxationof cro*s+ inadeuate s*endin on mar@et infrastructure for small9holder *roducers+ andinsufficient investment in research of local foods have combined to adversely affectedthe reionDs trade share of ex*orts in the #orld mar@et+ #hich has dro**ed by $; *ercent since &';1 Food im*orts are increasin at about . *er cent a year and CO!E"ADscurrent bill for cereals is over ,"M: billion1 This heavy and chronic de*endence on foodim*orts is *articularly danerous for CO!E"A+ not only because itDs debt and trade

 *roblems im*ose serious limits on itDs ability to *urchase food in #orld mar@ets+ butalso because there is no uarantee that food aid andJor commercial im*orts #ill beavailable #hen needed in the reuired uantities and uality1

Althouh industry re# rouhly three times as fast as ariculture in the first decade of

inde*endence+ the *ast fe# years have seen an alarmin reversal in many "tates #herede9industrialisation+ as a short9term effect of structural adjustment+ has set in1 Proress

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in the manufacturin sector has fallen far short of the taret ro#th rate of . *er cent *erannum *rojected in the second Industrial /evelo*ment /ecade for Africa 6I//A II7 as aresult of entrenched structural riidities+ #ea@ inter9industry and inter9sectoral lin@aes+lac@ of access to advanced technoloies and *oor institutional and *hysicalinfrastructure1 The African continentDs share of #orld manufacturin value added

6!KA7 rose from ;1 *er cent in &'; to & *er cent in &'.: and fell to ;1. *er cent in&''01 !ost African industries have a very lo# ca*acity utilisation rate and currentstructural adjustment *rorammes have as yet to have a *ositive im*act on the industrialsector1

Po*ulation is ex*andin at a rate of around (1: *er cent+ outstri**in aricultural andfood *roduction and CO!E"A no# has t#ice the *o*ulation it had in &'$ and morethan five times the *o*ulation it had at the beinnin of the century1

The reion has also ex*erienced+ over the last fe# years+ un*recedented drouhts+leadin to #ides*read food shortaes and famine1 There is ro#in and #ides*read

 *overty in the CO!E"A reion+ es*ecially amon the rural communities+ aravated by

the decline in ex*enditures on social services+ includin health+ education and *ublicutilities+ nutrition has #orsened and mortality continues to increase1

There is a major crisis in em*loyment in all countries+ es*ecially amon the youth incities and to#ns1 ,nem*loyment in most countries is as much as (; *er cent or more ofthe active labour force and under9em*loyment is just as serious1 The majority of thereionDs *o*ulation still d#ell in the villaes and earn their livin cultivatin bet#eenone and fifteen hectares1

The CO!E"A reion has also had to contend #ith civil strife+ ethnic #ars and *oliticalinstability #hich have also contributed to the decline in economic ro#th1

In summary+ the economic *erformance of the CO!E"A reion has been rather

disa**ointin over the last t#o to three decades+ #ith overall economic ro#th of theCO!E"A reion havin averaed (1: *er cent a year since &'; and only marinallyabove the level of the reionDs *o*ulation ro#th1 2y &''(+ this reion of over :.;million *eo*le+ #hich has more than doubled its *o*ulation since inde*endence+ had atotal =/P of around ,"M'; billion+ and included fifteen of the t#enty9three "tatesclassified as -east /evelo*ed Countries 6-/CDs7 by the ,nited %ations1

Economic and social forecasts for the reion suest that the outloo@ for the future is *romisin *rovided member "tates ado*t and im*lement strateies #hich #ill furtherout#ard9orientated reionalism in the *rocess of becomin fully interated into thelobal economy1 !ost CO!E"A countries are individually too small to achieve

economies of scale in the *roduction and mar@etin of their *roducts and need to #or@toether as a reion if they are to achieve sinificant levels of economic ro#th andcom*ete in a #orld mar@et #hich is becomin increasinly dominated by lare tradin

 blocs1

The &'';s have seen the *roressive lobalisation of economic activity and anincreased economic interde*endence bet#een countries1 This lobalisation has+ in manyinstances+ been achieved first throuh a *rocess of reional economic interation1 Thedevelo*ed #orld+ for instance+ has created reional rou*ins such as %AFTA+ theEuro*ean ,nion and APEC and these rou*ins are no# *oised to ta@e full advantaeof the o**ortunities offered by the further lobalisation of the economy+ under <TOrules and reulations1

If sub9"aharan Africa is to benefit from sustainable economic ro#th it #ill need to do

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this throuh trade liberalisation and reional interation1 Countries and reions unableor un#illin to interate themselves into the lobal economy #ill not benefit fromro#th9enhancin features of this larer interation and #ill be further marinalised inthe #orld oods and ca*ital mar@ets1 Interation tends to *romote hiher ro#ththrouh such channels as im*roved resource allocation+ reater com*etition+ technoloy

transfers and learnin and im*roved access to forein ca*ital1 Trade and investment tendto increase in countries #hich have o*ened themselves u* to the #orld economies andro#th itself tends to *romote interation1

Intra9reional trade #ill therefore be an essential vehicle for the *romotion ofdiversification and establishment of lin@aes bet#een *roduction units in differentAfrican countries1 %ot only #ill it contribute to im*roved *roductivity and reatercom*etitiveness for African *roducts+ it #ill also *rovide a stroner basis for theeffective *artici*ation of the African reion in the lobal economy1

The consensus on the need for closer reional co9o*eration and interation in Africa thevie# that effective co9o*eration and interation #ould assist African countries to

overcome the difficulties lin@ed to the economic framentation of the continent and thedisa**ointment in the results achieved by *revious attem*ts to create closer reional tiesis also shared by AfricaDs co9o*eratin *artners1

It is in this context that CO!E"A is *romotin reional interation and+ throuh this+reional economic ro#th+ by em*hasisin measures #hich reduce the costs of movinfactors of *roduction+ oods and services across national boundaries in the Eastern and"outhern African reion+ #ith relatively lo# tariff barriers aainst third *arties1

Almost all CO!E"A member "tates are im*lementin structural adjustment *rorammes+ most #ith the su**ort of the 2retton <oods institutions1 The *rocess ofstructural adjustment and economic reform at the national level ma@e it more li@ely that

reional interation measures #ill succeed+ in that countries are no# no lonero*eratin under the constraints of im*ort9substitution+ industrialisation strateies1Countries #hich have removed exchane control restrictions+ reduced tariff barriers totrade+ reduced the bureaucratic obstacles to doin business 6includin obstacles to cross9

 border investment and movement of factors of *roduction7+ allo#ed interest rates to beset by the mar@et and im*lemented other fiscal+ financial and structural reforms are no#

 better *laced to achieve economic interation #ith each other1 In addition+ #ith a fe#notable exce*tions+ countries of the reion do not have the stron *olitical differences+#hich existed in *articular in the &';8s+ and so do not restrict economic interaction#ith their neihbours *urely on *olitical and security rounds1

Ho#ever+ althouh these measures alleviate some of constraints on intra9reionaleconomic activity+ there have occasionally been cases #here the *rorammes have beendetrimental to reional interation1 2y *lacin trade liberalisation and dereulationmeasures in a reional context+ CO!E"A is able to build u*on the *roress made undernational structural adjustment *rorammes #hile at the same time addressin thereional dimensions of adjustment1

2y ta@in full account of the eneral move a#ay from state controlled economies infavour of more liberalised+ mar@et9determined economies and by reconisin the vitalrole the *rivate sector has to *lay in the social and economic develo*ment of the reion+CO!E"A is uniuely *ositioned to assist #ith the *rocess of reional interation1 The

 *riority role of the CO!E"A "ecretariat+ #ithin the frame#or@ of the CO!E"A Treaty+

is to ta@e the lead in assistin its member "tates+ throuh *romotion of reionalinteration+ to ma@e the adjustments necessary for them to become *art of the lobal

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economy #ithin the frame#or@ of <TO reulations1

2y ta@in+ as its focal areas+ issues of trade *romotion and economic interation+CO!E"A is concentratin its activities on trade liberalisation and customs coo*erationadministrative as*ects of trans*ort and communications to ma@e the movement ofoods+ services and *eo*le bet#een countries in the reion administratively easier

 *romotin the ado*tion of a common set of industry standards *romotin theestablishment of a stable and secure investment climate creatin a leal frame#or@#ithin #hich businesses can o*erate #ithin the reion and *layin a role inharmonisin macro9economic and monetary *olicies1

CO!E"A is no# *oised to achieve a free trade area by the year :;;; and recent studiesindicate that this *rocess #ill result in intra9CO!E"A trade increasin from its *resent. *er cent to nearly :; *er cent1

Ex*anded intra9CO!E"A trade #ould hel* overcome feast and famine sures andshortaes in food su**lies1 It #ould also ive industries in member "tates+ #hich have

 been too lon *rotected in mar@ets that are too small+ ex*anded mar@ets in #hich to

com*ete and enable them to ex*and *roduction and ex*orts #ithin CO!E"A and #iththird countries1

The role of the *rivate sector in this *rocess of economic ro#th and reionalinteration can not be over9stressed and the economic future of the CO!E"A reion isalmost totally de*endent on the *erformance of this sector1

The role F/I #ill *lay in the economic future of the reion is also of major im*ortance1Althouh CO!E"A can offer an attractively9si4ed and harmoni4ed mar@et of over (;;million *eo*le and althouh the reion has lare mineral and aricultural #ealth in#hich there are excitin investment o**ortunities+ the member "tates need to continueto offer a stable and attractive *olitical and economic environment for them to attract

F/I so that the reionDs *otential can be realised in full1

For further information+ visit CO!E"A home *aeB htt*BJJ###1comesa1int