Burundi: Investment Minister Hassan Khattib headed to Burundi to participate in the 23rd summit of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), representing President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. The summit, set to commence on Friday, will focus on ‘Accelerating Regional Integration through the Development of Regional Value Chains in Climate Resilient Agriculture, Mining, and Tourism.’

According to State Information Service Egypt, Khattib is expected to outline Egypt’s position on key issues, including boosting inter-trade among COMESA member countries and the progress of economic integration between Egypt and the COMESA nations. The summit’s agenda will cover a review of the current state of COMESA integration, discussions on priority programs and activities, and reports from the Council of Ministers and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, culminating in a Declaration from the COMESA Business Forum.

COMESA was established in December 1994, succeeding a Preferential Trade Area that had been in existen
ce since 1981. The organization comprises 21 member countries, including Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.