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COMESA

Common Market for East and Southern Africa

SADC urges Member States to sign and ratify AfCFTA and TFTA
5-Apr-2021 SADC
The Council of Ministers of the Southern African Development Community has urged Member States that have not yet signed and ratified the AfCFTA and the TFTA to do so to allow for the implementation of the agreements.
Private sector firms join push for AfCFTA agenda
24-Feb-2021 The East African
Private sector lobbies in Africa’s six regional trading blocs have formed the African Business Council, a continental umbrella body to spearhead the business agenda for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
New deadline set for ratification of Tripartite Free Trade Area
24-Feb-2021 COMESA
Ministers from the tripartite group of regional economic communities in eastern and southern Africa have set June 2021 as the deadline to achieve the threshold of 14 ratifications required to enable the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) enter into force.
Zambia ratifies tripartite free trade area agreement
22-Jan-2021 News Ghana
Zambia has become the latest country to ratify the Tripartite Free Trade Area, bringing the number of countries that have ratified the agreement and deposited the instruments to nine. The agreement, being pursued by COMESA, the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), needs a total of 14 countries to enter into force.
Taiwanese eye Africa as investment destination amid marginalization
14-Dec-2020 Focus Taiwan
Taiwan’s Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association encouraged Taiwanese companies to take advantage of free trade deals in Africa.
COMESA Business Council Makes 21 Recommendations On Seed Trade
4-Aug-2020 EABW News
The COMESA Business Council recently convened a webinar on “Unlocking Food Security Through Improved Seed Trade in COMESA” aimed at discussing issues of access to quality and affordable seed and challenges in trade facilitation in the movement of seed across borders amidst COVID-19.
Kenya reluctant to seek Comesa shield, opts for rehabilitation of sugar factories
23-Jul-2020 East African
Kenya is reluctant to seek extension of safeguards that protect the country from importation of cheap sugar from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa).
COMESA Resolves 95% Of NTBs At Borders
21-Jul-2020 EABW News
At least 82% of the reported Non-Tariff Barriers in the COMESA region are those imposed on imports and exports of goods and services and are largely operational by design. According to trade experts, these type of NTBs are easy to identify and monitor.
Investor-state dispute settlement in Africa and the AfCFTA Investment Protocol
8-Jul-2020 Tralac
With the growing concern over the traditional ISDS system, it is highly unlikely that the AfCFTA will include an ISDS mechanism giving investors access to go to international arbitration under conventional international tribunals.
Sadc takes over Tripartite economic group leadership
24-Apr-2020 Chronicle
Under market integration, 22 countries out of 28 have now signed the TFTA Agreement, while eight have signed and ratified.
Implementation of the Tripartite FTA agreement now in sight
26-Feb-2020 COMESA
Namibia is the latest to ratify the TFTA agreement. Seven countries are expected to complete the ratification process before the end of this year paving the way for its implementation.
More countries ratify tripartite free trade area agreement
20-Jan-2020 Eagle
Namibia has become the eighth country to ratify the Tripartite Free Trade Area. Six more countries are required for the agreement to enter into force.
Cabinet approves ratification of Comesa-EAC-Sadc free trade
11-Dec-2019 ZBC
Cabinet in Zimbabwe has approved the ratification of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA).
East African countries turn to neighbours for more trade
21-Nov-2019 The East African
EAC’s increased exports to SADC excluding Tanzania was as a result of the increased benefits arising from the membership to the EAC-COMESA-SADC Tripartite.
Africa’s tripartite free trade area to be operational in early 2020: COMESA
4-Sep-2019 Xinhua
The TFTA will also be a building bloc for the African Continental Free Trade Area, COMESA official said.
Rwanda ratifies Tripartite Free Trade Area agreement
11-Jul-2019 The New Times
Members of the Lower House approved the agreement establishing a Tripartite Free Trade Area among the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the East African Community, and the Southern African Development Community.
What next after the coming into force of African Free Trade Area
6-Jun-2019 East African Business Week
The African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) will be launched on 7 July 2019 in Niamey, Niger, by the Heads of State and Government at an extraordinary summit of the African Union.
Fresh push for states to ratify the tripartite FTA as deadline draws near
5-Apr-2019 EABW
The deadline set by the Tripartite Council of Ministers for member States of three regional economic blocs to sign and ratify the tripartite free trade area lapses this month.
South Africa deposits the instrument of ratification of the agreement establishing the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA)
13-Dec-2018 Africa News
The deposit of the instrument means that South Africa has formally and legally committed to the TFTA.
Comesa states to face sanctions for new NTBs
17-Oct-2018 Daily Monitor
Member states in the Comesa trading bloc who introduce new non-tariff barriers to trade may face sanctions as trade experts prepare to present this tough condition to Heads of State.