TERRY HUTSON COMESA, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, which says that the high cost of sea transport is forcing it to look at establishing its own regional shipping line, has put out a call out for potential consultants within the Comesa region to undertake a feasibility study aimed at setting up the line. Comesa said that studies by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa had shown that freight costs in Africa were as high as 48% to 56% of the total cost of goods, which is well above anywhere else. It also costs more to send a container from Mombasa to Egypt than to send the same box to northern Europe.
