300 handicraft traders benefit from COMESA deal
MBABANE - The construction of the Inhlanganisela YaboMake Trade Hub has eased trading for over 300 handicraft traders and impacted over 400 businesses.
This was mentioned by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Thuli Dladla on Thursday during the courtesy call to Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, Secretary General (SG) of the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA).
The COMESA Adjustment Facility grant, funded by the European Union through the Regional Integration Support Mechanism (RISM) with €99 million, was approved as adjustment support.
Eswatini is one of the 16 member States that received support for regional integration programmes.
Eswatini received €3 019 700, which was used for the construction of the Trade Hub, upgrading to ASYCUDA World, and the leather value chain development, among other things.
This project came to an end in November 2021, and the Secretariat continues to engage various partners to mobilise resources to build on the Adjustment Facility’s support.
Government
Dladla said the government was now almost in a position to assume ownership of the facility and make it fully functional.
She said closely linked to the developments at the trade hub was the COMESA Federation of Women and Business (Eswatini Branch), which would also be housed at the facility.
“The last tranche under this fund was utilised for building the above-mentioned trade hub, but the money from this venture has supported programmes, including the free trade area, the customs union, the resolution of non-tariff barriers, harmonisation of standards, trade in services, investment, competition policies, transport, and trade facilitation policies,” she added.
The minister further mentioned that there were a number of ventures under this aspect, such as capacity building for the development of standards and quality infrastructure, investment promotion and investor aftercare and an exporter’s directory.
Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe added that they were commending Eswatini for its commitment to regional integration, and they had seen this through the many activities and programmes the country was participating in, as well as through the ratification of the Tripartite FTA Agreement.
effect
She said it was to this effect that they would be sending to Eswatini, and the rest of the member States, the invitation letters to the summit from the current chairperson of the COMESA Authority, the president of the Arab Republic of Egypt, as well as letters from the incoming chairperson of the COMESA
Authority, the President of the Republic of Zambia.
The COMESA Summit of Heads of State and Government is scheduled to take place on June 8th, 2023, and it will be preceded by the COMESA Business Forum on June 7th, 2023, and the meeting of the COMESA Ministers of Foreign Affairs on June 6th, 2023, in Lusaka.
“We look forward to Eswatini’s active participation in these important events on our calendar. You may wish to note, Excellency, that we have not had a full physical summit since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic; therefore, it will be important for our leaders to come for the summit to show their commitment once again to driving the regional integration agenda forward, and we are counting on your