UPDATE: Comesa to end reliance on raw material exports



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  million. Hery Rajaonarimampianina

M. Hery Rajaonarimampianina

Prosper Ndlovu in LUSAKA, Zambia

The Heads of State and Government present at the 20th Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) underway have decided to bring to stop commodity exports by harnessing digital technologies and value-added to take advantage of the abundant natural resources of the region.

At the opening of the summit at the Mulungushi International Conference Center, leaders acknowledged that Comesa and Africa's major was losing substantial value and opportunities. employment through trade in raw materials. Participants agreed that for the economy of the region to take off, Member States should work together in the framework of economic integration to structurally transform their economies into high-value products and harmonize their production systems in order to to achieve economies of scale. Edgar Lungu, President of Zambia and host, said that for Comesa to have an impact on the global economy, it should use digital and value-added technologies, which will expand the skills and revenues of the country. Union beyond just food stability. "We can not continue to trade commodities among ourselves, while relying on markets outside the African continent to provide us with finished products from our own resources sourced from our region," said President Lungu. limit ourselves to helping people get food on the table, but to create an enabling environment, which will allow our private sector to generate the necessary funding to invest in value-added and make our region a hub for manufactures.

The President of the Comesa Authority, also President of Madagascar, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, acknowledged in his speech preserving peace and stability as an anchor of the success of economic integration regional. He noted that progress in ending conflicts in countries such as South Sudan represented a major victory for progress and development in the region. Malawi's President, Professor Peter Mutharika, insisted that the Comesa was formed a few years ago outside the Preferential Trade Area (PTA), with a vision of envisaged continental economic integration , in which the subregional regions the economic groupings will be used as building blocks. He said that Malawi, as one of the founding member states, will play its role and ensure that the Comesa team wins the battle for economic integration that benefits all.

"What we have always wanted is a deeper integration, social and economic progress in the region.We have learned that there are times when we achieve more things by cooperating more than competition ", said Professor Mutharika

" This does not contradict the fact that the competition is human and that we are always in competition.The competition in the broader spirit of regional cooperation is also possible that our unity in diversity.

"I pledge that Malawi still plays its role as a member of this organization. We believe in the spirit of the team. "

A senior Rwandan official, who represented President Paul Kagame, said Rwanda believed in a broader regional market that would give Comesa and Africa a lot of room for economic growth. the meeting that his country was already busy implementing investment reforms to position the country for increased economic growth under the model of regional integration.The country would have initiatives in favor of digitization in all In the same way, Zimbabwe is undertaking reforms under the new political regime led by President Mnangagwa to steer investments in the "Zimbabwe is open for business" mantra, which has so far made the 39; subject of a review of the main investment policies.

The Minister of Presidential Affairs, Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, who represented the pr Mnangagwa president in Indaba ongoing, also said that Zimbabwe will play its role and will work with its peers to achieve economic transformation. Harare has already domesticated value addition and valuation in its business model.

Summit delegates recognized that technology is a key enabler for accelerating growth and noted the need to build the right institutions and channel resources.

"So we have a challenge to put in place the necessary support structures and resources so that our economies are not left behind in the digital era," said President Lungu

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