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Enhance linkages: Comesa chief
08/06/2009
Victoria falls (Zimbabwe): -- The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa should move towards merging with other economic blocs to broaden their market, chairman of Comesa business Mr Saidd Moussa has said.
He said the bloc should develop programmes and strategies to enhance linkages and networks with other regions to promote sustainable trade and investment.
"I would like this collaboration to be with regions including Africa Union/Nepad, Asia particularly China and India, Americas, the Pacific Islands, Europe and GCC nations," he said while addressing a business forum, one of Comesa’s policy organs.
He said Comesa should strive to increase trade and investment among member-states.
Mr Moussi, who is also the president of Djibouti Industries Confederations challenged the business community within Comesa to direct efforts towards social and economic development.
To achieve this, he said the business community should rightly capture various opportunities that exist and fully exploit them for the benefit of the region.
"We all know that there is great potential for economic and social growth in Comesa, yet very often, there is uncertainty on how to capture and exploit these potentials.
"Many efforts are made by the private sector and public sectors but often they do not produce the intended yield," added Mr Moussa.
He said the private and public sector should also co-ordinate activities directed at fostering economic growth.
Mr Moussa said the private sector was one of the main engines to drive development in the region and hence should be involved in issues of regional integration.
"This forum and other events like it are important to Comesa’s economic and social development because they help draw the business community’s attention towards participating actively in Comesa’s regional integration agenda.
"While the road to integration may be difficult, the destination is worth the journey," Mr Moussa told the gathering which has attracted several local and international business people.
The Comesa Business Council, being a regional body, aims to foresee that the interests of the business community and other interest groups in the market are taken into consideration by the organs of the common market.
By initiating private sector development programmes, it aims at strengthening and encouraging co-operation among chambers of Commerce and Industry in the region by providing them with up-to-date commercial intelligence regularly to speed up response and dissemination of information among member-states.
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