BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – COMESA Secretary General Her Excellency (HE) Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe lauds the 2023 to 2028 “Nkwe” Government Policy Statement.
This is according to a Government press statement issued by Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo today (Wednesday, November 6, 2024). According to Nxumalo, this happened when Kapwepwe met Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini at the Private and Cabinet Offices at Hospital Hill, Mbabane.
“During the meeting, Her Excellency reaffirmed the Kingdom of Eswatini’s commitment towards advancing the ideals of the COMESA trading bloc. She also appraised the Secretary General on Eswatini’s development agenda, including on the recently delivered Government Policy Statement and Programme of Action, urging COMESA to support Eswatini’s aspirations as encapsulated in these two documents,” Nxumalo said.
Kapwepwe, according to Nxumalo, emphasised the importance of trade liberalisation within the Africa region, saying it was important that COMESA and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) benefit its members such as Eswatini. The Secretary General, on the other hand, recognised Eswatini as a valuable member of COMESA that was committed to advancing the ideals of the intra- Africa trading bloc, a commitment also demonstrated through the country’s up-to-date membership.
The SG expressed COMESA’s appreciation to His Majesty the King for sending the prime minister to represent the Kingdom of Eswatini during the recent 23rd COMESA Summit of Heads of State Summit in Burundi. She added that COMESA would continue to engage with Member States on matters affecting intra-COMESA trade, including how to expedite decisions that affect the facilitation of trade. These include how transaction costs can be reduced.
Nxumalo said the Secretary General was in the country to attend the COMESA Committee of Governors of Central Banks meeting. She is also expected to launch the electronic certificate of origin, a project being piloted in three of the 21 COMESA Member States, which included Eswatini, Malawi and Zambia.
