press releases

U.S. Ambassador Presents Credentials To COMESA Secretary General

United States Ambassador to Zambia, Carmen Martinez, on April 18 presented her credentials to Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretary General, Erastus Mwencha, at a ceremony in Lusaka. In her remarks at the ceremony, Ambassador Martinez stressed that the United States values its expanding relationship with COMESA and its member states. She underscored the mutually important objectives shared by the U.S. and COMESA, particularly the promotion of regional and international trade and investment, noting, "There is perhaps no more powerful engine for development than trade." In addition, the Ambassador stressed the U.S. and COMESA's appreciation for the critical role the private sector plays in economic growth and development, and the shared focus on getting results.

The U.S. partnership with COMESA has yielded tangible benefits. Since 1998, assistance provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s regional office in Nairobi has helped COMESA to build capacity in a number of areas, including trade development, telecommunications harmonization, institutional strengthening, and program management.

The AGOA Linkages program increased awareness of the African Growth and Opportunity Act among stakeholders in AGOA-eligible member states, identified 120 export-ready companies and generated over $5 million in additional exports under AGOA. The Trade and Investment Framework Agreement signed by COMESA and the United States Trade Representative in 2001 generated regular dialogue on bilateral trade and AGOA, infrastructure, trade capacity building and ongoing WTO negotiations.

Other U.S. regional programs in Africa, such as the Regional Agricultural Trade Expansion Support (RATES) program for Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Global Competitiveness Hub programs in Nairobi and Gaborone, offer many COMESA member states additional opportunities to improve their capacity to trade and compete in regional and international markets.
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