Your Excellency Robert Gabriel Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, and Chairman of the COMESA Authority;

Your Majesty, King Mswati III, Ingwenyama of Eswatini;

Your Royal Highness, Inkosikathi Lagija;

Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government;

Your Excellencies, First Ladies;

Your Excellencies, Vice Presidents;

Your Excellencies, Plenipotentiaries;

Honourable Prof. Welshman Ncube, Minister of Industry and Commerce, and Chairman of COMESA Council of Ministers;

Honourable Ministers;

Your Excellency Erastus Mwencha, Vice-Chairperson of the African Union Commission;

Your Excellency, Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank;

My colleagues, the Assistant Secretary Generals of COMESA;

Your Excellency, Dr. Tomaz Salamão, Executive Secretary of SADC;

Your Excellency, Ambassador Juma Mwapachu, Secretary General of EAC;

ACP Secretary General;

My Colleagues the Chief Executive of COMESA Institutions;

Your Excellencies Ambassadors and High Commissioners;

Members of the Diplomatic Corps;

Our Co-operating Partners;

Leaders of Business Community;

Distinguished Delegates;

It is my singular honour to address and welcome you all to the majestic Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe on the occasion of the 13th COMESA Summit. Through you, Your Excellency President Robert Gabriel Mugabe, I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Government and people of Zimbabwe for the outstanding hospitality extended to the COMESA family.

It is with humility and profound appreciation that I would like to thank you, on behalf of COMESA member States and the COMESA Secretariat for hosting this year’s Policy Organ Meetings and the Summit. Your Government and the people of Zimbabwe have yet again demonstrated their irrevocable commitment to the ideals of Pan-African cooperation and regional integration. Our gratitude is best expressed in the African way –“towombera tichiti Gushungu; Engwenya, Umabuya kamahlazi.”

Since this is my maiden statement, I would like to thank Your Majesty and Your Excellencies for the trust and confidence you have reposed in me by appointing me as Secretary General of COMESA. I humbly submit that I will diligently and faithfully discharge my responsibilities to the best of ability.

Your Majesty;

Your Excellencies,

In discharging my responsibilities, I wish to place on record my profound appreciation to the COMESA Council of Ministers and senior Government officials who have, since the time you appointed me, provided support and invaluable advice. Hence, my confidence that during my tenure of office, I will deliver on the assignments that you have directed me to discharge. Indeed, I will build on the solid foundation of my immediate predecessor Mr. Erastus Mwencha who is the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission. Indeed, I continue to benefit from his insights and advice as he serves our continental body the African Union.

Your Majesty;

Your Excellencies;

The theme for this year’s summit ‘Consolidating Regional Economic Integration through Value Addition, Trade and Food Security’ is appropriate in that regional integration provides the surest way of mitigating the negative impacts of globalization. Indeed, the Summit is being held against a backdrop of unprecedented economic challenges brought about by the credit crunch which has thrown the world economy in the worst recession since the 1930s. The global economic meltdown has demonstrated yet again, the limitations of conventional orthodoxy, in that it does not have all the answers in a world where time and distance has been compressed by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

Your Majesty;

Your Excellencies;

The launching of the COMESA Custom’s Union is another significant step in the process of realizing deeper integration. In this regard, it is worth noting that the COMESA member States have experienced a dramatic increase in the volume of the intra-COMESA trade from US$3.2 Billion in 2000 to US$15.2 Billion in 2008. In addition, cross-border investments among COMESA countries have also increased thus confirming a well known fact, that trade is a catalyst to sustainable economic growth and development.

It is further gratifying to note that the COMESA Common External Tariff (CET) has been harmonized with Common External Tariff of the East Africa Community. In one stroke, the COMESA and East Africa Community regions have established one Customs Territory. Consequently, there will be no need for countries that have membership in both COMESA and EAC to choose between the two organizations. The harmonization of the Common External Tariffs has fulfilled the decision of COMESA-EAC and SADC Tripartite Summit which was held in October 2008 in Uganda.

Your Majesty;

Your Excellencies;

In consolidating and deepening the economic integration process, there is need to use the Customs Union as the platform of value added products. An examination of the current trade figures for intra-COMESA trade shows the US$15.2 Billion trade realized in 2008 mainly comprises of primary agriculture products, with a small percentage of trade in manufactured products.

Consequently, the primary focus as member States implement the Customs Union is to put into place policies and strategies for value addition. COMESA is fortunate in that value addition will be spearheaded by the following COMESA industry associations: The African Cotton and Textile Association (ACTIF); the Agro Processing Association, the East African Fine Coffee Association and the Leather Association. Through these COMESA established associations, it is envisaged that industry clusters within member States and between member States will take place and that inter and intra industry linkages will emerge. These sector industry clusters will result in increased intra-COMESA trade. It is also expected that trade-in-services will be stimulated and that such trade will be facilitated by the COMESA framework on trade-in-services that has been approved by the Council of Ministers.

It is against this background, Your Excellencies that the COMESA Secretariat will work with both the public and private sector and COMESA institutions to bring about the structural transformation of our economies from being primary commodity producers to producers of manufactured goods. The value addition of the region’s raw materials will directly benefit the producers and contribute to wealth creation within the region.

Your Majesty;

Your Excellencies;

The social and economic transformation of COMESA member States would be incomplete without the modernization of agriculture which will result in improved agriculture productivity and incomes for our farmers. Whereas the COMESA region has vast agricultural land and abundant water, the region spends annually on average US$19 Billion on food imports. This situation must be reversed through not only increased Government expenditure in infrastructure to facilitate access to domestic, regional and international markets, but in supporting farmers to access and utilize appropriate technologies to mention but a few. In this regard, it would be advisable for each member State to establish agriculture centers of excellence. These centers would provide, among others, seeds, fertilizer, hire of equipment and extension support services.

Through collaborative efforts supported by cooperating partners, COMESA member States should in the next three (3) years achieve the following:

(i) Double agriculture productivity of staple crops; (ii) Source food supplies from within the region; (iii) Meet all food deficits through intra-COMESA trade. On the basis of the current imports of US$19 Billion this would bring the total volume of the intra-COMESA trade to US$34.2 Billion.

The ongoing implementation of the AU-NEPAD Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Programme (CAADP) will contribute to the realization of the goal of achieving food security and poverty reduction.

Your Majesty;

Your Excellencies;

For the Customs Union to deliver a competitive economy the development of infrastructure namely railways, road, energy and telecommunications is imperative. The COMESA Secretariat is already working jointly with East Africa Community and the Southern African Development Community under the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite arrangement to prepare bankable projects and mobilize funding from multilateral development banks and bilateral partners. The Aid-for-Trade model that was used to mobilize US$2.7 Billion for the North-South Corridor is to be simultaneously implemented in the next 12 months in all the corridors of the Eastern and Southern Africa region.

I undertake to submit a report on progress made in mobilizing funding and implementing infrastructure projects at your next Summit in 2010. Since this is a collective effort with sister regional organizations, permit me to express my profound appreciation to my colleagues Dr. Tomaz Augosto Salamão, Executive Secretary of SADC and Ambassador Juma Mwapachu, Secretary General of East Africa Community and the current Chairperson of COMESA-EAC-SADC Task Force for their visionary leadership and contribution to the successful implementation of the North-South Corridor project.

Your Majesty,

Your Excellency,

Addressing food security and the provision of adequate infrastructure dictates that we adapt and mitigate climatic challenges. Climate change has unavoidable effect on food security in Africa, as increasing temperatures and shifting rain patterns reduce agricultural productivity and access to food. COMESA region must therefore intensify programmes that facilitate climate adaptation and mitigation, such as conservation of forests, sustainable agricultural practices and employ cleaner development production technologies.

Further, COMESA should spearhead the call for all African delegations to endorse and lobby for the Africa climate solution at the December 2009 Copenhagen post Kyoto climate negotiations. Africa should lobby for increased and more accessible global funding for climate adaptation and clean development mechanisms. Africa must optimize its full climate change mitigation and adaptation potential by ensuring that the reduction of green house gas emissions by agriculture, forests and sustainable land use (AFOLU) are included in the Post 2012 climate change regime. Just as in food security, Africa can provide a solution to the global climate challenges, if all 26 African countries in East, Central and Southern Africa, and the whole African continent through the African Union Commission, endorse the African Climate Solution. If AFOLU is incorporated into the post Kyoto protocol, Africa could generate up to US$3 Billion per year in carbon trade.

Your Majesty,

Your Excellencies,

With your continued support, I have no scintilla of doubt that COMESA as the largest regional economic block in Africa will rise up to the challenges and champion the race to economic transformation through food security, value addition, diversified economies, trade and overall economic integration for Africa-wide prosperity.

It is with humility that I accept the responsibilities bestowed upon me and the challenges before me. With the few imperatives that I have presented, the Secretariat and I, will work with all member States in ensuring the transformation of our economies to meet our objectives.

We are aiming for higher ground, and nothing less than victory will stop the COMESA Pride of Lions. With the launching of the COMESA Customs Union, businesses will find it easier to establish and operate in our region, companies will easily list on multiple stock exchanges, goods and services will be traded with ease and more confidence.

Your Majesty,

Your Excellencies,

COMESA is poised yet again to achieve an important milestone which lays a firm foundation of the African Economic Community. Hence, the need to explore the possibility of sharing the best practices with other Regional Economic Communities. Let us all aim to make the COMESA Customs Union another wonder and envy of the world.

I thank you for your kind attention.