All is set for the four-day 24th Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit, which officially kicked off on Monday, October 6, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi. The event has drawn participation from 21 Member States and over 300 exhibitors from across the region who will showcase products, share innovations, promote trade, and forge strategic partnerships.
The summit opens with the COMESA–EU Horticulture Connect, a session designed to link European Union buyers and horticultural producers with regional Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), including women-led businesses. This engagement aims to strengthen the capacity of SMEs by exposing them to EU market standards, certification processes, and export requirements, enhancing their competitiveness in global markets.
On Tuesday, October 7, the 17th COMESA Business Forum and exhibitions will take centre stage, followed by the 20th Meeting of COMESA Ministers of Foreign Affairs on Peace and Security on October 8. The series of events will culminate in the 24th Summit of COMESA Heads of State and Government on Wednesday, October 9.
Speaking ahead of the summit, Regina Ombam, Principal Secretary in the State Department for Trade, highlighted the region’s renewed focus on harmonising trade procedures and boosting intra-African commerce.
“With the changing global landscape in trade, COMESA member states are looking at how to grow intra-African trade to a competitive level,” she said.
She further explained that discussions on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) within COMESA aim to create a unified tripartite market that brings together the EAC, SADC, and COMESA regions.
According to Ms. Mshuka Kamwela, European Union Development Fund (EDF) Manager at the COMESA Secretariat, past trade missions have already helped SMEs secure export deals and expand distribution networks, marking significant progress toward inclusive regional growth.
