The document discusses the 13th COMESA Summit taking place in Zimbabwe. Key points include: 1) The summit will discuss moving forward with establishing COMESA's first customs union and launching the Buy African Build Africa initiative to promote African trade. 2) Various technical meetings will precede the summit, including meetings of finance experts, justice ministers, and a meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee to receive reports from COMESA programs. 3) The Buy African Build Africa initiative aims to brand and market African products abroad through partnerships and centers of excellence for agro-processing and packaging in Africa. It is expected to be featured prominently at the summit.

1. newsletter
Issue #206 29th May 2009 / At the 13th COMESA Summit
Issue #126 - Friday 19 October 2007 newsletter
Its all Systems Go for the
COMESA Customs Union
Elephants Hill
Africa’s largest regional trade bloc has 13th Meeting of the Administrative and technical committee meetings in
started meetings in the tourist resort Budget matters committee opened COMESA. These technical reports
of Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe at the Elephant Hills Hotel in the town come from the committees on Gender,
paving the way for the launch of popularly referred to as the Vic Falls Trade and Customs, Information
the process to have the first ever town. This committee is comprised of Technology, and the Fiscal Affairs
Customs Union in the region. financial experts who meet regularly Committee. The report from the
to discuss the various matters of twelfth meeting of Ministers of Justice
The Common Market for Eastern and finances involving the COMESA and Attorneys General will also be
Southern Africa (COMESA), which has Secretariat. presented for noting.
19 member States, has been working
on having a Customs Union to follow This three day meeting is the first The IC opens at the Elephant
the successful Free Trade Area (FTA) leading to the Heads of State Summit Hills Hotel today 30th May 2009
launched in the year 2000. Fourteen which will be held on 7th and 8th of and the COMESA Secretariat is
countries have been participating in June 2009. Before the grand meeting expected to present reports on
the FTA which has seen intra-regional involving Presidents, Technicians the status of implementation of
trade levels grow from US$3 billion such as Directors, Ambassadors, COMESA Programmes mainly trade
at the time of the launch to over High Commissioners accredited to development, customs co-operation,
US$9billion as at December 2008. the countries in Eastern and Southern transport and communication, industry
This trade is mainly concentrated Africa and Permanent Secretaries and private sector, monetary affairs,
in goods produced in the FTA will meet at the Inter-governmental agriculture, economic and social
participating countries which is done Committee (IC) meeting. development.
free of duty among the member States
who have signed up for the FTA. The IC brings together senior The COMESA Climate Change
government officials who receive programme will also be high on the
On Thursday 28th May 2009, the different reports from the various agenda.
www.comesa.int

2. Buy African Build Africa ‘BABA’ to feature
Prominently at the COMESA Summit
quality value added and processed
The COMESA region has partnered products, branding, packaging and
with the Clifton packaging Plant of labeling. It is meant to work through
Leicester, United Kingdom to learn productive and technological capacity
and benefit from the ‘Buy Africa Build building and enterprise development.
Africa’ initiative which is a brain child It is envisioned to work through
of a Ugandan of Asian origin, Mr. building centers of excellence which
Khalid Shelkh. will provide training and capacity
building in packaging, labeling, bar-
Mr Sheikh is currently Chairman coding and branding. It will also offer
of the 500 million Pounds Clifton contract packaging for agro-food
Packaging family company. A team processors.
from Clifton led by Mr. Sheikh are
participating at the 13th COMESA The BABA vision working through
both in Africa and abroad. This will
Summit starting with the Policy contacts abroad such as Clifton
be achieved by building productive
Organs meetings and in particular packaging Plc, will provide marketing
capacities in agro-processing through
the Intergovernmental Committee opportunities for products produced
BABA Centers of Excellence in
meeting. The officials will also make within the region and marketed as
packaging and branding in Africa,
presentations during the COMESA COMESA BABA Brands.
starting with the COMESA region.
Business Forum. The BABA vision will compliment and
COMESA believes the BABA vision
offers solutions to a number of augment COMESA programmes.
The objective of BABA is to brand www.BABAvision.com.
challenges the region faces which
Africa and promote African products
includes infrastructure, producing
FACT on BABA!!!
The 13th COMESA Summit a
milestone
The first BABA/COMESA Flagship of Centre of
Excellence in Zambia will be the turning point for
Africa.
BABA Vision and Strategy
Improving food production is of paramount
importance and reducing waste and by increasing
the shelf-life of fresh produce will create more
demand for local products. Africa needs to
The 13th Common Market for Eastern improve marketing of agriculture produce and
and Southern Africa (COMESA) reduce waste. Farm surpluses dumped on
currently going on in Zimbabwe will the lesser developing countries by developing
provide an opportunity for Zimbabwe countries are driving the farmers out of business.
to host some 1,500 delegates from It is time for Africa to profit from a boost in
COMESA’s 19 member states. agriculture, starting with Buy African Build Africa
COMESA Secretary General, Sindiso • The agriculture sector is essential to overall
Ngwenya described the event as growth, poverty reduction and food security
landmark as it is going to take place
amid a global financial crisis which • Empower some of the poor rural farmers to earn
called for more cooperation among a living through enterprise and a sense of pride
African countries.
“The summit is taking place during Addition, Trade and Food • Introduce goods, trade and products to the
the worst global economic recession Security.” most destitute and in some cases inaccessible
in recent years. The impact is very “This will be a milestone in the areas of Africa
clear as there are reduced exports, deepening of regional integration,”
meaning governments are running said Ngwenya. • Bring vast knowledge of innovative agro food
current account deficits, hence the The summit was organised to review processing and packaging and add value to the
need for regional integration,” said progress on the implementation already valuable crops available in Africa
Ngwenya. of various regional protocols and
The theme of the summit programmes meant to better the lives • Food without frontiers! When it comes to Trade,
is, “Consolidating Regional of the people. Forget the AID!
Integration through Value
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3. African Proverb and Wisdom
History, like beauty, depends largely on the beholder, so when you read that, for example, David Livingstone discovered the Victoria Falls, you
might be forgiven for thinking that there was nobody around the Falls until Livingstone arrived on the scene.
Archbishop D. Tutu.
COMESA Poem
SHADOWS OF MOSI-O-TUNYA
In the shadows of Mosi-o-Tunya
We stand, gripped by wonder
At the awesome sight of the
Waters of Mosi-o-Tunya we marvel
We marvel as we see them take the plunge of glory
The great plunge to the depths below
We watch wordless and bewildered
As the wild waters whirl
We stand speechless
As the cascading waters roar
They fall, they fall
To the forbidding depths below
They plunge with a roar of glory
And we remember
Our own plunge of glory
The plunge into the depths of uncertainty
A plunge of courage and determination
Defying the intimidating heights
We have survived the plunge
We have overcome the odds
And as we stand in the shadows of
Mosi-o-Tunya,
Wet with the showers of the rainbow,
We have but one hope:
That these showers of Mosi-o-Tunya’s rainbow
Shall soon become showers of blessing
Blessings which shall see no borders
Blessings which shall flow unfettered
Then shall the full glory of our
Plunge of glory be seen
In Sports
Nigeria United Fans Kill Rival
A Manchester United football fan in south-eastern Nigeria drove a minibus into a crowd of Barcelona supporters, killing four people, police say.
Ten other people were wounded in the incident in Ogbo town, after United lost Wednesday’s European Champions League Final 2-0 to the
Spanish team.
A police spokeswoman told Reuters news agency: “The driver passed the crowd, then made a U-turn and ran into them.”
He is now in police custody. Both teams have a large fan base in Nigeria.
“The man confessed to doing it on purpose,” police spokeswoman Rita Inoma Abbey told the BBC.
“He now says he doesn’t know why he did it, but it was an intentional act.”
Football fans across Africa closely follow the European leagues, which recruit some of the continent’s best players.
Earlier this month, a Kenyan Arsenal fan hanged himself after his team’s defeat in Champions League semi-final second leg by Manchester
United.
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