Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye, in his final address as chairman of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), highlighted developments in regional economic integration Thursday at the 24th COMESA Summit in Nairobi.
The summit, themed “Leveraging Digitalisation to Deepen Regional Value Chains for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth,” brought together leaders from 21 African nations to discuss strategies for strengthening intra-regional trade and economic cooperation.
In his remarks, Ndayishimiye praised COMESA Secretary-General Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe for her leadership. He cited key achievements during his tenure, including a 154% increase in foreign direct investment and a rise in intra-COMESA trade from $2 billion to $14 billion. He also noted progress in the agro-industrial sector and regional infrastructure development.
The president highlighted initiatives to support women and youth, including the “50 Million African Women Have Their Say” program and vocational training efforts aimed at increasing participation in economic and social decision-making. He also announced that the Simplified Trade Regime (RECOS) would launch in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo in October 2025.
Ndayishimiye emphasized the role of digitalization in reducing costs and enhancing competitiveness across regional value chains.
The summit concluded with Kenya assuming the COMESA chairmanship, while Burundi will take on the role of secretariat. Leaders also launched a Digital Retail Payments Platform intended to facilitate cross-border trade using local currencies, reducing transaction costs and improving efficiency.
Ndayishimiye returned to Burundi following the summit, concluding his tenure as COMESA chairman during which the organization saw increased intra-regional trade and investment.
