Friday, March 29, 2024

Zambia to maintain SADC,COMESA membership

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Zambia says it will maintain its membership in both the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market For Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

Commerce Permanent Secretary Davidson Chilipamushi disclosed this saying Zambia trades more with SADC but has also an interest in COMESA which has its headquarters in Zambia.

The Permanent Secretary however called for the harmonisation and rationalisation of the protocol of Regional Economic Communities (REC’s).

He noted that COMESA was set to come up with its Customs Union this year while SADC was first establishing the Free Trade Area and that the whole regional intergration package includes the completion of negotiations for the Customs Union in 2010, the Common Market by 2015, and the establishment of a monetary Union by 2016 and the regional central bank with a common currency by 2018.

At the same function during the 14th meeting of the Government Committee of Experts for Southern African briefing in Lusaka yesterday, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa- Southern Africa (ECA-SA) said there was need to deepen efforts aimed at promoting regional intergration in support of the African Union’s vision and priorities.

Economic Commission For Africa Southern Africa Director Jeninifer Kargbo said the ECA office was involved in assisting member states in montoring and assessing progress made in micro economic and institutional policy convergence , monetary and financial intergration as the region prepares for the Free Trade Area (FTA) and Customs Union (CU).

The ECA Southern Africa Director noted that the Southern African Region has presented an evaluation of progress towards the attainment of the FTA and CU in SADC and Common Market For Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)respectively.

She further noted there was need for countries to have an ultimate goal creation of one trading bloc to benefit the whole region. She added that countries would decide the prices as they get in the Customs Union Phase between now and 2010 as the harmonisation of the Regional Economic Communities REC’s is in process.

14 COMMENTS

  1. Dual-key exchange rate intervention would also induce constructive, system-enhancing behavior from major economics–unification of eurozone positions; visible rejection of unilateralism unification would not be used against the euro or dollar–conducive to a more stable international financial architecture. It would even encourage up coming China and India strong economies towards greater responsibility in its exchange rate management.
    And all it would take would be a simple agreement among allies. Unlike most proposals for change in the architecture of exchange rate management, dual-key intervention requires no creation of new institutions which is purely an advantage to Zambia

  2. Why did COMESA countries reject South Africa to be a member of COMESA. The very reasons why COMESA rejected South Africa to be a member of COMESA should be the reason why Zambia should withdraw from SADC. The major difference between SADC and COMESA is that SADC is a Security Political grouping while COMESA is a Regional trade body. But now since SADC whats to move into an FTA then they will be no need for Zambia to be a member of SADC. The membership will have overlaping purposes at a huge expense. Why be a member of two FTAs and Customes Unions.

  3. #2 you are dataless, COMESA did not reject the membership of South Africa. It is South Africa that refused to be a member of COMESA. In any case the PS is right when he says Zambia benefits more from SADC. Right now you can drive around in South Africa (and SADC at large) without having to get a South African licence if you have a SADC licence. South Africa offers reasonable rates to SADC members when it comes to fees at their well developed Universities. You can’t get all these benefits from COMESA. Even when you visit South Africa, you will automatically get 30-days visa. So be realistic in your critism. period.

  4. Pleas correct me if i am wrong, Is it fact that because SADC is dominated by SA, Zambia is on the losing side in so much as all the trade is one way, SA goods at customs reduced rates, into Zambia. Selling these goods in thier shops in zambia, squeezing out zambian goods. Only raw materials leave Zambia for overseas countries via SA. Apart from the benifits to individuals visitors to SA, what does Zambia benifit from SADC in relation to SA ?.

  5. The justification by GRZ of the dual membership (SADC and COMESA) is not convincing and far from an optimal choice. We seem to be following blindly and don’t know what we want. What does harmonisation of trade between COMESA and SADC translate into, particularly for Zambia. The Ministry of Commerce needs to address this question by demonstrating to the nation why it is more beneficial belong to both organisations instead of one. If trade harmonisation implies COMESA and SADC doing exactly same things, we only need one, and if they do different things we need to choose the better option for Zambia, like South Africa has done!

  6. Our dual membership is reflective of GRZ inability to make a decisive decission. On paper it make sense to discard COMESA and align ourselves to SADC. Our GRZ officials spend alot of time and resources attending COMESA and SADC meetings/workshops. Can GRZ constitute a team of experts (Zambians) to look at benefits of belonging to either body and GRZ make a decission.

  7. ….you people speak as if you don’t know these ministers. When they go to these so called conferences and blah blah blah for them its just another free vacation away from Zed, meet all the important delegates and make friends, free booze and a wonderful bonk after wards. Get back home and ask the PA for whatever notes where taken…and life goes on.

  8. Ask Zambia sugar if they are allowed to export sugar into the Kenyan market…..and after you get the answer you will wonder why Zambia is even a member of COMESA. This is not a perfect trading block. Honestly you cannot allow member countries to selectively protect sectors in which they are not able to compete. In short according to COMESA’s honest rules; Zambia can export Aeroplanes to Kenya but cannot export Sugar because Kenyan sugar manufacturers are not ready to compete with other COMESA countries.

  9. Investors will prefer Zambia with access to both comesa and sadc markets for their goods, simple and straight forward, we must maintain both

  10. #11 what investors are you taking about. I suppose you don’t imply Chinese, RSA whites and Indians? Our primary intention should be to forster the interest of Zambian investors. In any case you don’t need to be a member of COMESA to trade with any of these COMESAs. Otherwise we might as well loddy to be member of ECOWAS, EU, etc. I still maintain our dual membership is a sign that we don’t know what we want.

  11. I have been enlightened by the comments posted so far and on a CBA i venture to think that they are more benefits to be reaped from being a member of SADC than there is with COMESA its just out of sympathy that we remain aligned to COMESA because if we left that would spell the end of this trading bloc and frankly speaking it is useless the only thing it has achieved is increase piracy and increase illicit activities, kenya has not helped enhance our economy, tanzania just dumps its piracy goods on us, ethiopia and the great lake countries bring nothing to the table why shud we continue to waste our money paying fees and going for their pointless summits? an area 4 levy to ponder.

  12. if zambia had to chose i would go for sadc politically it makes sense and geographically , also south african companies have heavily invested in zambia through sadc , such as ur mtns , vodacoms , standard bank , pricewater house, spar, fnb , protea , pick ‘n pay , sanlam insurance etc
    + we get university subs pay 25 000 local vs 80 000  ,now there also considering extending the 1 month visa.
    +  some of our neighbors aren’t even part of comesa no angola , bostwana , nambia ….the biggest economy bloc went and started there own thing etc. tanzania , kenya , Ugandan etc

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