Kenya Hosts Key Three-Day COMESA Trade Talks Amid Global Challenges.

Deputy Director of Trade, Mr. Alex Tomerang.

Nairobi, Kenya July 22, 2025.

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has commenced its pivotal 41st Meeting of the Trade and Customs Committee in Nairobi, marking the start of a three-day forum hosted by Kenya's Ministry of Investments, Trade, and Industry at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Westlands. This high-level gathering brings together delegates from across the 21-member bloc, providing a crucial platform to deliberate on coordinated policy responses to emerging global socio-economic and political challenges impacting the region.

Officially opening the session on behalf of Principal Secretary for Trade, Ms. Regina Ombam, Deputy Director of Trade, Mr. Alex Tomerang, strongly reaffirmed Kenya’s unwavering commitment to regional integration. Mr. Tomerang emphasized COMESA’s pivotal role in driving sustainable economic growth, job creation, and improved livelihoods across member states, highlighting the importance of the forum.

Presiding over the meeting, COMESA Assistant Secretary General for Trade and Customs, Amb. Dr. Mohammed Kadah, underscored the critical function of the Committee as the key technical body steering COMESA’s trade and integration agenda. He described it as the "engine room for driving our regional trade agenda forward," noting that the Nairobi session offers a vital opportunity to assess progress, confront challenges, and agree on concrete steps to deepen market integration and enhance cooperation. The Committee is instrumental in developing and reviewing instruments that continue to shape Africa’s economic landscape.

The four-day 2025 meeting will tackle a comprehensive agenda central to the region's trade future. Key deliberations will focus on trade in services capacity building, the operations of the COMESA Free Trade Area, and strategies for the elimination of non-tariff barriers. Delegates will also discuss critical reforms to rules of origin, the implementation of COMESA’s AfCFTA strategy aligning with the continental framework, customs modernization initiatives, and the advancement of digital trade frameworks to support the region's growing digital economies.

These closed-door technical discussions aim to produce concrete recommendations for consideration by the COMESA Council of Ministers, reinforcing Kenya's position as a central hub for advancing regional integration and trade in Eastern and Southern Africa.

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