Business updates

Following the Source 21 Business Summit, the COMESA Business Council has published the Source 21 Business Summit Declaration to adopt strategic efforts and actions that directly address issues for enhancing the capacities of local industries, local souring and intra-regional trade.

The Source21 COMESA High-Level Business Summit which was held from at the Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC), in the margins of the Source 21 COMESA International Trade Fair from the 17th – 20th of July 2019, was under the theme “The Hallmark of Quality”.

The event was organized by the COMESA Business Council and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, in partnership with COMESA and the Government of Kenya.

The High-Level Business Summit was led by a Presidential Dialogue to give direction on key areas and reform strategies to strengthen the sourcing of quality African products in the market and address issues of local industrial and SME competitiveness in regional trade. The summit, which saw the participation of Four Heads of States; H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E Edgar Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia, H.E Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda and H.E. Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory, Ag. President, Republic of Mauritius, provided a platform of engagement between business leaders and policy makers to address some of the key impediments affecting business in regional and cross border trading partnerships.

The Summit brought together over 500 stakeholders from the public sector, namely high-level government officials, Ministers, Regulators, regional and international organizations. From the private sector; industry leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, SME businesses and innovators from all sectors of the economy, i.e. manufacturing and services industries from all over Africa.

Mr. Marday Venkatasamy, Chairperson of the COMESA Business Council presented the Declaration which captured the recommendations of all the sessions for the adoption. All recommendations were adopted. He advised that the recommendations will be handed over to the COMESA Secretariat and also presented through the COMESA policy organs and Heads of State.

The meeting report of the Source 21 Business Summit can be accessed here.

The Declaration of Source 21 Business Summit can be accessed here.

Right to left: H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, H.E. Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory, Ag. President, Republic of Mauritius, and Mr. Marday Venkatasamy, Chairperson of the COMESA Business Council.