By HELEN ZULU –
THE Government has said there is need to revitalise the domestic industries to tap into existing regional markets for the economic growth of the region.
Commerce, Trade and Industry Permanent Secretary Kayula Siame said the potential for increased trade and growth exists in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region.
Ms Siame noted that the share of intra-COMESA trade in goods of its total trade currently stood at six per cent while the intra-COMESA trade potential was estimated at US$83 billion.
She said this at the official opening of a COMESA trade and customs committee meeting in Lusaka yesterday.
She said the COMESA region continued to face challenges despite having developed excellent instruments and policies all aimed at improving integration and boosting intra-COMESA trade.
Ms Siame said the implementation of regional commitments and full-scale participation of all member states in COMESA programmes was an area that still needed improvement.
“Integration is a collective effort and success can only be attained when the majority are fully engaged in various activities currently in place in COMESA.
“The low level of transposition of regional instruments has affected negatively the implementation of the various programmes,” she said.
COMESA assistant secretary general Dr Kipyego Cheluget said the level of trade among member States would have been more than what was reported in 2015 were it not for the still prevalent occurrence of non-tariff barriers (NTB).
COMESA’s trade deficit was $100 billion in 2015 from $97 billion in 2014.
Dr Cheluget urged member States to utilise the COMESA regulations on NTBs which provided a streamlined process of addressing and resolving NTBs.
“I would like to urge member States to honour the provisions of article 49 (1) of the Treaty and refrain from imposing NTBs.
“In order to bring more precision into the implementation of NTB regulations, the region is developing guidelines that will guide stakeholders in this respect and your future meetings will have an opportunity to deliberate on them,” he said.