According to the Egyptian Minister of Emigration and Expatriates Affairs Soha Gendy, Egypt is actively working to enhance economic cooperation and regional integration among COMESA countries. Gendy made these comments while hosting the first COMESA regional teamwork meetings at the New Administrative Capital.
The meetings, which span two days, focus on the free movement of individuals as a crucial aspect of facilitating trade, as stated in a statement by the Emigration Ministry. Egypt chaired the COMESA from 2021-2022 before passing on the presidency to Zambia.
COMESA was founded based on a treaty that established it as an organization of free, independent, and sovereign states committed to developing their natural and human resources for the benefit of all their people. As a result, promoting peace and security in the region is among the broad range of objectives that COMESA prioritizes.
COMESA, with 21 member states and a population of 560 million, is a significant marketplace for both internal and external trade. It has a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $768 billion. The ministry statement emphasized Egypt's efforts during its two-year presidency of the continental bloc.
The statement noted that Egypt accomplished several goals during its presidency, such as boosting economic development by increasing intra-COMESA exports and facilitating trade exchange.
Egypt put forth the Regional Industrial Integration initiative and emphasized infrastructure development, such as the Victoria-Mediterranean Sea link project.
Egypt played a significant role in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, suggesting the formation of a health committee within the COMESA Secretariat, hosting the first African Medical Conference, and pledging to provide 30 million doses of coronavirus vaccines to African countries. This reflects Egypt's status as a regional hub for medical vaccine manufacturing.
Source: Ahramonline
