President William Ruto has flown to Bujumbura, Burundi, for the 23rd Summit of Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Heads of State and Government.
In a statement, State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said during his visit, Ruto will engage in high-level discussions to bolster Kenya’s relationships with key strategic partners.
Further, he stated that the focus will be on strengthening regional value chains to deepen COMESA integration.
“This will be with a particular focus on strengthening regional value chains to deepen COMESA integration,” said Mohamed.
Similarly, he is scheduled to meet with the Presidents of Egypt and Zambia and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia.
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“The discussions with Egypt will focus on enhancing the Kenya-Egypt partnership, with a joint commitment to increase trade between the two nations.”
“Ruto’s bilateral meeting with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema will explore avenues to facilitate trade, including the formation of a Joint Trade Committee to address and resolve non-tariff barriers.”
In addition, he revealed that Ruto will also mobilize support for Kenya’s candidacy for the African Union Commission chairperson position.
“The Head of State will also Garner support for Kenya’s bid to host the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) Secretariat, which unites three regional economic communities: COMESA, the East African Community, and the Southern African Development Community,” he added.
This year’s summit celebrates the 30th anniversary of COMESA, a vital trading bloc with a combined market of 640 million people and a GDP of $1 trillion.
COMESA represents a substantial market for Kenya, which currently holds a 12.4% share of the regional market, second only to Egypt.
