Common Market for Eastern and
Southern Africa
Common Market for Eastern and Southern
Africa
Marché commun de l’Afrique orientale et australe
Mercado Comum da África Oriental e Austral
Seat of
Secretariat
Lusaka, Zambia
Official
languages
English, French and
Portuguese
Type
Trade bloc
Membership
19 member states
Leaders
-
Secretary
General
Sindiso Ngwenya
Establishment
-
Signed
5 November 1993
-
Ratified
8 December 1994
Website
http://www.comesa.int/
The Common Market for Eastern and
Southern Africa, is a preferential trading
area with nineteen member states stretching
from Libya to Zimbabwe. COMESA formed in
December 1994, replacing a Preferential
Trade Area which had existed since 1981.
Nine of the member states formed a free
trade area in 2000, with Rwanda and Burundi
joining the FTA in 2004 and the Comoros and
Libya in 2006.
COMESA is one of the pillars of the Afric-
an Economic Community.
In 2008, COMESA agreed to an expanded
free-trade zone including members of two
other African trade blocs, the East African
Community (EAC) and the Southern Africa
Development Community (SADC).
Membership
Current members:
•
Burundi (21 Dec 1981)
•
Comoros (21 Dec 1981)
•
Democratic Republic of the Congo (21
Dec 1981)
•
Djibouti (21 Dec 1981)
•
Egypt (6 Jan 1999)
•
Eritrea (1994)
•
Ethiopia (21 Dec 1981)
•
Kenya (21 Dec 1981)
•
Libya (3 June 2005) (at the 10th
Summit of COMESA)
•
Madagascar (21 Dec 1981)
•
Malawi (21 Dec 1981)
•
Mauritius (21 Dec 1981)
•
Rwanda (21 Dec 1981)
•
Seychelles (2001)
•
Sudan (21 Dec 1981)
•
Swaziland (21 Dec 1981)
•
Uganda (21 Dec 1981)
•
Zambia (21 Dec 1981)
•
Zimbabwe (21 Dec 1981)
Former members:
•
Angola
•
Lesotho (quit in 1997)
•
Mozambique (quit in 1997)
•
Tanzania (quit on September 2, 2000)
•
Namibia (quit in May 2, 2004)
Institutions
The following organs have decision-making
power according to the treaties
• The COMESA Authority, composes of
Heads of States or Government.
• The COMESA Council of Ministers
• The COMESA Court of Justice
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
Common Market for