BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – COMESA Secretary General Her Excellency (HE) Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe is of the view that Eswatini is making a valuable contribution to the East and Southern African market.
This transpired today (Wednesday, November 6, 2024) when Kapwepwe met Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini at the Private and Cabinet Offices at Hospital Hill, Mbabane. According to the premier, this meeting provided an invaluable opportunity to discuss their shared goals and Eswatini’s steadfast commitment to advancing the ideals of free trade and regional integration within the COMESA region.
“During our discussions, we reaffirmed Eswatini’s dedication to fulfilling its obligations within COMESA, particularly in promoting trade liberalisation across Africa. Together, we acknowledged the importance of dismantling existing trade barriers, a critical step toward fostering an environment where African economies can thrive in unity,” Dlamini said.
The prime minister said Her Excellency expressed COMESA’s appreciation for Eswatini’s active participation and acknowledged the Kingdom’s valuable contributions as a Member State. She extended her gratitude to His Majesty the King for ensuring Eswatini’s representation at the recent 23rd COMESA Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Baku, Burundi.
Further, Her Excellency affirmed her commitment to ongoing engagements with Member States, aimed at expediting key decisions to advance trade facilitation within COMESA, according to Dlamini. Notably, the premier said Kapwepwe highlighted initiatives focused on reducing transaction costs to create a more favourable trading environment for all Member States.
“We also took this opportunity to brief the Secretary General on Eswatini’s recent policy statement and outlined our programme of action, underscoring the goals we have set to transform the lives and livelihoods of Emaswati. In this regard, we sought COMESA’s support in achieving these targets, ensuring that our commitments translate into tangible benefits for the people of Eswatini,” the premier concluded.
COMESA SECRETARY MPUNDU LAUDS GOVT POLICY STATEMENT
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.
