The Ethiopian government is striving to substantially increase exports to COMESA member countries, it was learnt.
At press conference held on Thursday state minister of the Ministry of finance and Economic Development, Ahmed Shide, said that Ethiopia has been exporting leather and leather articles to COMESA countries. Ahmed said the government is working hard to boost exports to COMESA member countries. “We should increase our productivity,” Ahmed said.
Ethiopia’s export to COMESA member countries is 30 million dollars. Established 20 years ago, COMESA has 19 member states that trade 20 billion dollars’ worth of goods. COMESA trade’s volume with the rest of the world is estimated at 290 billion dollars.
The Ethiopian government will host the 18th annual COMESA summit in Addis Ababa from March 30-31 2015.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED) are finalizing preparation for the 34th COMESA policy organ meetings that will culminate by the 28th COMESA summit of heads of state and government.
The summit is held every year and organized by member state on rotational basis. Ethiopia was selected at the 17th COMESA summit that was held last year in Congo Kinshasa to host the 18th COMESA summit. As a coordinating ministry for COMESA program, MoFED is leading the organization of the event.
Briefing local reporters on Thursday Ahmed said that Ethiopia has ample experience in managing similar forum in view of the fact that the African Union Summit at least once in every year. The country hosted the 7th COMESA heads of state summit in 2002 under the theme COMESA: promoting trade and investment. Ahmed said Ethiopia takes this opportunity again in 2015, as a platform to reiterate its support to the objective of the organization as well as an opportunity to share its best practices from the country’s national transformational agenda.
The chosen theme for the 18th COMESA is inclusive and sustainable industrialization. “It aims not only to bring forth the issue of supply-side constraints on tradable goods on the international and regional markets, but importantly also to ensure employment by creating decent jobs for the region’s population without leaving behind segments of the population-women and youth-and ultimately eradicate poverty. This theme is also very timely and important for COMESA transformation agenda,” Ahmed told journalists.
As a follow up to last year’s summit under the theme consolidating intra COMESA trade through micro small and medium enterprise development the 2015 summit is expected to add insight on effective ways to stimulate growth through sustainable industrialization and re affirms the critical roles of member states in successful implementing a systematic reform and cooperation agenda for inclusive industrialization.
Joseph Kabila, president of the DRC, will hand over the chairmanship to Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Accordingly, Ethiopia will chair all COMESA meetings until the next summit. The summit comprises nine sessions including administrative and budgetary committee meeting, intergovernmental committee meeting, council of ministers, council of foreign affairs meeting, senior officials meeting, council meeting, business forum, first ladies roundtable meeting and the 18th summit of heads of state and government.
According to Ahmed, the summit will discuss last year’s achievements and the progress so far made by COMESA. It will also look into the implementation status of the various relevant COMESA agreements. According to Ahmed, 17 heads of state and more than 1000 delegates are expected to attend the summit.
The trade transaction between COMESA member states is not up to the level of expectation of African leaders. Ahmed told The Reporter that member states should increase productivity by stimulating the private sector and boost productivity. According to the state minister member states would confer on increasing productivity and transformation into industrialization.
[TheReporterEthiopia]