Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

COMESA Secretariat, Ben Bella Road, Zambia

Phone : +260 (211)229725 / Fax : +260 (211)229725

Web site : www.comesa.int

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) was formed in 1994 to replace the former Preferential Trade Area (PTA) which had existed from the earlier days of 1981. It is one of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs). RECs are regional groupings of African states organized into a legal entity by treaty, with economic and social integration as their main objective. The African Union currently recognizes eight RECs, each of which plays a key role in African integration.

COMESA’s mission is to achieve sustainable economic and social progress in all Member States through increased co-operation and integration in all fields of development particularly in trade, customs and monetary affairs, transport, communication and information, technology, industry and energy, gender, agriculture, environment and natural resources.

The Member States are: the Republic of Burundi; the Union of the Comoros; the Democratic Republic of Congo; the Republic of Djibouti; Arab Republic of Egypt; the State of Eritrea; the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; the Republic of Kenya; the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; the Republic of Madagascar; the Republic of Malawi; the Republic of Mauritius; the Republic of Rwanda; the Republic of Seychelles; the Republic of Sudan; the Kingdom of Swaziland; the Republic of Uganda; the Republic of Zambia; and the Republic of Zimbabwe.