NAIROBI, Kenya— The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is rallying its member states to fortify regional trade frameworks in response to recent tariff hikes by major global markets, including the United States.
In June 2025, the U.S. administration announced sweeping tariff increases on a range of African exports, citing trade imbalances and domestic manufacturing concerns.
The move has sent ripples across the continent, prompting COMESA to advocate for enhanced internal trade resilience.
Speaking at the 41st COMESA Trade and Customs Committee meeting in Nairobi, Director of Trade and Customs Christopher Onyango stressed the urgency of boosting intra-African commerce through the Simplified Trade Regime (STR), especially for micro, small, and medium enterprises.
“COMESA has a strategy of assisting small cross-border traders across the region,” said Onyango.
“The STR ensures that neighboring countries can use simplified measures to conduct their trading activities, especially for youth and women who dominate informal trade.”
The STR reduces bureaucratic trade hurdles by eliminating the need for cumbersome certificates of origin and allowing mutually agreed product lists to move duty-free between neighboring states.
The high-level committee meeting, which reports to COMESA’s Council of Ministers, also assessed operational instruments such as electronic certificates of origin and a real-time
system to report non-tariff barriers (NTBs).
“We have developed instruments to ensure that when these barriers emerge, they are quickly reported and resolved without causing much harm to traders,” Onyango added.
Currently, 16 COMESA countries are operating under the Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), allowing zero tariffs on intra-member trade.
However, lingering NTBs, low value addition, and limited productivity still constrain the region’s full potential.
A 2021 study by COMESA projected intra-regional trade potential at over $100 (Sh 12.96 trillion) largely untapped.
In the face of growing global protectionism, COMESA is calling for unified trade policies and enhanced regional cooperation to shield African economies from external shocks and keep markets open for African producers.
COMESA Urges Stronger Regional Trade Amid New U.S. Tariffs on Africa
NAIROBI, Kenya— The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is rallying its member states to fortify regional trade frameworks in response to recent tariff hikes by major global markets, including the United States.
In June 2025, the U.S. administration announced sweeping tariff increases on a range of African exports, citing trade imbalances and domestic manufacturing concerns.
The move has sent ripples across the continent, prompting COMESA to advocate for enhanced internal trade resilience.
Speaking at the 41st COMESA Trade and Customs Committee meeting in Nairobi, Director of Trade and Customs Christopher Onyango stressed the urgency of boosting intra-African commerce through the Simplified Trade Regime (STR), especially for micro, small, and medium enterprises.
“COMESA has a strategy of assisting small cross-border traders across the region,” said Onyango.
“The STR ensures that neighboring countries can use simplified measures to conduct their trading activities, especially for youth and women who dominate informal trade.”
The STR reduces bureaucratic trade hurdles by eliminating the need for cumbersome certificates of origin and allowing mutually agreed product lists to move duty-free between neighboring states.
The high-level committee meeting, which reports to COMESA’s Council of Ministers, also assessed operational instruments such as electronic certificates of origin and a real-time
system to report non-tariff barriers (NTBs).
“We have developed instruments to ensure that when these barriers emerge, they are quickly reported and resolved without causing much harm to traders,” Onyango added.
Currently, 16 COMESA countries are operating under the Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), allowing zero tariffs on intra-member trade.
However, lingering NTBs, low value addition, and limited productivity still constrain the region’s full potential.
A 2021 study by COMESA projected intra-regional trade potential at over $100 (Sh 12.96 trillion) largely untapped.
In the face of growing global protectionism, COMESA is calling for unified trade policies and enhanced regional cooperation to shield African economies from external shocks and keep markets open for African producers.
