COMESA eyes young innovators

THE Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) says it is determined to implement programmes aimed helping young innovators to develop their businesses.

COMESA Secretary -General Chileshe Kapwepwe said COMESA recently conducted an innovation award programme where a young Kenyan innovator received $10,000.

Ms Kapwepwe said the winner used the money to develop and market a motor vehicle security software.

She said this at the 39th Meeting of the COMESA Council of Ministers in Lusaka.

She said the software had become a notable player in the motor vehicle security sector in Kenya and expanding to other countries in the region

Ms Kapwepwe said the region was not short of innovative ideas but that the challenge was the capacity to transform them to commercial products.

‘‘Going forward, this is one of the initiatives that we intend to revive and promote robustly to ensure more innovative ideas by our young people are supported to maturity,’’ he said.

She said in August this year COMESA organised a successful annual research conference on the demographic dividend whose theme was dubbed “turning ideas, skills and inventions into business and industries.”

Ms Kapwepwe said COMESA has a regional integration support mechanism which is supported by the European Union and resourced at 111 million Euros.

She said under the programme financial support was provided to member States for implementation.

She appealed for unity, solidarity and ownership of all processes, initiatives and decisions in an effort to successfully execute COMESA’s mandate.