African leaders must strengthen regional value chains and remove all barriers to intra-African trade as part of a concerted effort to drive economic integration and reshape the continent's economic prospects.
That was the message from Claver Gatete, executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, who was speaking at the recent Community for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) summit held in Bujumbura, Burundi. He emphasised the need for African nations to broaden their regional value chains as a step towards forging a more unified economy.
“This requires not only removing all the barriers to intra-African trade but also creating incentives for greater cross-border investment,” he said.
Gatete added that Comesa’s implementation of the Tripartite Free Trade Area, which became operational in July this year, was a significant step in the right direction, uniting three major regional blocs — Comesa, East African Community and SADC — which collectively account for over 60% of the continent's GDP.
With a combined population exceeding 650 million, a collective GDP surpassing $1 trillion, and merchandise trade valued at more than $400 billion, Comesa is a major pillar of Africa’s regional integration agenda.
Gatete said that the demand for critical minerals would rise enormously over the coming decades, and urged the continent’s leaders to be ready to take advantage of this, given the abundance of these critical minerals in Africa.
The outgoing chair and Zambian president, Hakainde Hichilema, reported a substantial increase in the trading bloc's exports, which soared from $100bn in 2020 to $219bn in 2024. “This remarkable growth underscores the region's expanding economic footprint on the global stage,” he said.
He emphasised the important role of technology in augmenting agricultural productivity, suggesting that technological adoption was essential for enhancing food security in the region.
The incoming chairman, President Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, highlighted the potential of the tourism industry and mineral resource management to further bolster the economies within Comesa.
Established in 1994, Comesa represents the largest economic entity in Africa in terms of trade and investment. Its goal is to establish a significant economic and trade unit and to achieve economic prosperity through regional integration.
The summit brought together heads of state, leaders and decision-makers to deliberate on the theme of "Accelerating Regional Integration through the Development of Regional Value Chains in Climate-Resilient Agriculture, Mining, and Tourism."
