COMESA holds Diplomatic Conference

THE COMESA Competition Commission (CCC) successfully held a two day diplomatic conference on competition and trade for Ambassadors and High Commissioners accredited to COMESA. The Conference was held in Zambia’s tourist capital on the 19th May 2016 and it attracted 40 participants from various COMESA departments. The conference, which is the first of its kind, is meant to help develop a working partnership with the diplomatic community given the strategic role they play in facilitating effective engagement with their governments in implementing the COMESA Treaty, its programmes and initiatives. The primary objective of the two day conference is to advocate for the domestication of the COMESA Treaty and associated legal instruments to guarantee the enforceability of various Regulations and Rules of the Common Market. Secondly, the participants are expected to share information regarding the CCC to enhance their understanding of the link between competition and trade and their role in ensuring the delivery of benefits of the single market system. During the opening of the conference, the Chairman of the CCC Board Mr. Matthews Chikankheni said the conference would also help the commission to market itself to stakeholders so that its operations can be understood. “As we embark on an expansion drive of our activities, we have found it necessary to engage directly with you, so as to inform you of our work, for you to effectively play your facilitatory role,” Mr.Chikankheni said. He further said that the CCC main focus is to drive the process of building competitive markets to increase intra-COMESA trade. This is an extremely important priority for all COMESA countries, especially in our efforts to attain sound industrial development. The conference will also be used to increase awareness of the roles of respective COMESA institutions and how the diplomats can interact to further the attainment of the COMESA Treaty objectives. The event will also demonstrate how the business community can benefit from COMESA programmes. Presentations, panel and round-table discussions will be made by directors and heads of the different COMESA institutions.