Thorny issues continue to impede Customs Union dream

A year down and two to
go until the open-border
Customs Union envisioned
for the Common Market for
Eastern and Southern Africa
(Comesa) will supposedly
become a reality.
Officials at last week’s
Comesa heads of state
conference could only plead
with nations to follow up
their 2009 pledges and
put laws in place that will
enable a Euro-like common
currency zone that is free
of border restrictions. The
union will also integrate all
nations’ customs operations.
2012 is the date for this to
be done.
The summit’s final
jargon-filled communiqué
urged member states
to “domesticate” the
organ’s “instruments” by
gazetting tariff schedules
already agreed upon in
the body’s Common Tariff
Nomenclature (CTN), and
implement the provisions of
the Customs Management
Regulations.
However, not a single
official or delegate who
spoke to FTW would say
with absolute certainty that
their respective governments
would have necessary
Comesa-enabling laws in
place by deadline time.
Governments have also
dawdled on signing the
investment agreement
creating a Comesa Common
Investment Area (CCIA).
At the summit, delegates
were urged in statements
from the Comesa Secretariat
and official speeches
from the rostrum to
“work harder” and “work
collectively”.
On thorny issues thus far
impeding regional economic
integration, such as the free
flow of goods within the
union and the collection
and distribution of customs’
duties, only the heads of
states are seen as capable
of breaking deadlocks.
However, only four other
heads of state joined King
Mswati of the host country
Swaziland. Mostly lowerlevel
officials attended.
Of interest to the
transportation industry was
some progress made by
delegates to pave the way
for a regional infrastructure
conference to be held in
Nairobi next month by
the Inter-Governmental
Authority on Development.
“Comesa is increasingly
becoming competitive,
arising from programmes
that assist the development
of infrastructure, including
energy,” said Comesa
secretary general Sindiso
Ngwenya. In 2008, intra-
Comesa trade amounted to
US$13.6 billion.