Maravi

Saasa urges harmonisation of COMESA, SADC protocols

Saasa urges harmonisation of COMESA, SADC protocols
By Joan Chirwa
Friday June 06, 2008 [04:00]

HARMONISATION of the Comesa and SADC protocols is the best option for countries with overlapping membership, economic consultant professor Oliver Saasa has said. And the 14th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts for Southern Africa has called on member countries of the regional economic groupings (RECs) to develop a mechanism for disseminating information for tracking progress on the implementation of the SADC free trade area (FTA) and Comesa customs union and their related protocols.

Professor Saasa said Zambia should maintain its dual membership in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) while working towards the harmonisation of trade protocols between the two RECs.
Government has indicated that Zambia would not relinquish its membership in either SADC or COMESA as member countries strive to harmonise RECs to effectively promote trade in the region.

“We should look at harmonisation and rationalisation of the two to avoid conflicts,” professor Saasa said. “It would not be prudent for Zambia to choose now to belong to either COMESA or SADC but harmonisation of the two is the best option.”

COMESA is set to come up with its customs union this year, while SADC is first establishing an FTA. After the FTA, SADC’s overall regional integration road map includes completion of negotiations for a customs union in 2010, the common market by 2015 and the establishment of a Monetary Union by 2016 and a regional Central Bank with a common currency by 2018.

And the 14th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts for Southern Africa noted that COMESA and SADC still faced major challenges that need to be addressed to realise the launch and operationalisation of their customs union and FTA respectively.

“There are a number of challenges that COMESA and SADC are facing as they move towards achieving their important milestones. Some of these challenges include simplification and harmonisation of customs and immigration procedures, monitoring mechanisms for tracking the implementation of protocols, information needs for trade facilitation, financing regional integration and promotion of the public private partnership (PPP) in regional integration agenda,” stated a policy brief issued at the end of the meeting on Wednesday. “Both COMESA and SADC integration is impeded by a lack of financial resources and they depend on international donors and partners to survive.

“To improve financing of regional integration, the two RECs need to create a project preparation and development unit within SADC and strengthen the same within COMESA; prepare the business plan for implementation with the deliverables, responsibilities, budgets and times frames; and develop mechanisms to operationalise the Development Fund for COMESA and SADC.”

Labels: COMESA, OLIVER SAASA, REGIONAL INTEGRATION, SADC

posted by MrK @ 3:56 PM