COMESA Assistant Secretary General Mr Stephen Karangizi has revealed that the Enhancing Procurement Reform and Capacity Project (EPRCP) has helped fourteen COMESA Member States to either develop new public procurement laws or review and modernize their old ones.

The COMESA Secretariat says Member States have continued to show political will to fight corruption by promoting good governance as stated in the COMESA Treaty.

COMESA recently hosted a two- day national consultation on peace and security for civil society and private sector organizations for the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa. The consultations took place on 24 - 25 January 2010.

Kenya has abolished the auction of sugar import licenses after the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) bloc said it hampered free trade, its sugar regulator said on Monday.

The Operations Evaluation Department of the African Development Bank is currently undertaking an independent evaluation of the assistance given by the Bank to COMESA for public procurement reform in its 19 Member States, during the period 2001-2009. The Bank’s assistance was channelled through two projects, viz. a) Public Procurement Reform Project 2001 (completed); and Enhancing Procurement Reforms and Capacity Project 2006 (ongoing).

The Kingdom of Swaziland has signed the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Compact becoming the fourth COMESA country to do so.