Rwanda has urged the 21 member states of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to simplify customs procedures, remove cross-border trade barriers and attract more investment to help businesses expand and create jobs.
Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva made the call at the 25th COMESA Summit of Heads of State and Government, where he represented President Paul Kagame.
Speaking under the summit theme, “A Single Market, A Shared Future: Accelerating Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration in COMESA,” Nsengiyumva said countries needed to turn their commitments into practical measures that make trade easier and strengthen their economies.
He called for simpler customs procedures, transparent trade regulations and harmonised systems across member states, saying these measures would help businesses trade more efficiently across borders.
“We must continue our integration, pool our strengths and establish a regional market that enables our people and businesses to thrive,” he said.
Nsengiyumva also urged member states to attract productive, sustainable investment, particularly across national borders. He called for improvements to the business environment, easier access to financing and stronger partnerships between governments and private companies.
He said investment in manufacturing and value addition was essential to creating jobs, widening economic opportunities and reducing African countries’ reliance on imported goods.
“Our countries should focus more on developing value chains in sectors where our strengths complement one another and where there are different opportunities for growth,” he said.
The prime minister also highlighted the role of technology in making trade more efficient. Digital solutions, he said, could improve cross-border payments, modernise customs operations, provide businesses with better access to market information and facilitate the movement of goods, people and services.
He cited a stakeholder consultation hosted by Rwanda in August to help develop COMESA programmes on artificial intelligence and inclusive digital transformation. Rwanda, he said, was committed to supporting technological development that expands economic opportunities across the region.
Nsengiyumva said African countries faced growing uncertainty from global political and economic changes and needed to work together to strengthen their resilience.
He also pointed to COMESA’s contribution to the African Union’s broader economic agenda, including the African Continental Free Trade Area, which seeks to expand trade among African countries.
He urged member states to move beyond declarations and implement measures that deliver tangible benefits to businesses and citizens, saying the bloc’s future would depend on the decisions its members make and carry out.
COMESA has 21 member states: Burundi, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
