High poverty levels worries COMESA
COMMON Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has raised concerns that poverty and unemployment rates remain unacceptably high in the region and in the continent.
COMESA Secretary-General Chileshe Kapwepwe said there was need for a more inclusive and balanced approach to narrow the gap between the poor and the rich. Ms Kapwepwe noted that the need to address these challenges was long overdue. She said in a speech ready for her by COMESA assistant secretary general Chaluget Kipyego during the 15th meeting of the Tripartite Committee of Senior Officials (TCSO) in Livingstone. She said the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) held for the people higher production levels, low cost of trading and more decent jobs. TFTA would also facilitate higher incomes, higher tax income and wealth creation for the region and continent at large. “The significance of TFTA to the continental process underscores the urgency of concluding the negotiations with a view to consolidating and preserving the gains made in our respective states for the benefit of all member States,” Ms Kapwepwe said. She said that operationalisation of TFTA was now being held back only by slow process of ratifications. Commerce, Trade and Industry Permanent Secretary, Kayula Siame, called on TFTA member/ partner states to fast-track the process of ratifying the TFTA agreement and finalising the institutional operations. Ms Siame said operationalisation of TFTA would be timely considering that substantive progress had been made in finalising technical work through a series of negotiations.