The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a regional economic community in Africa with twenty-one member states stretching from Tunisia to Eswatini.

Its 23rd Summit of Heads of State and Government is underway in Bujumbura, Burundi, where President Evariste Ndayishimiye has assumed the bloc’s leadership, taking over from his Zambia’s counterpart Hakainde Hichilema.

As the new Chair, Mr Ndayishimiye will guide the 21-member trade alliance for the next year.

The summit, held on October 31, 2024, centered on the theme “Accelerating Regional Integration through the Development of Regional Value Chains in Climate-Resilient Agriculture, Mining, and Tourism,” setting a focused agenda on bolstering cooperation across these critical sectors.

The gathering also established a new COMESA Bureau, designating Burundi as Chair, Kenya as Vice Chair, and Zambia as Rapporteur.

A key outcome of the summit was the announcement of a programme aimed at connecting 100 million people to clean energy within seven years, highlighting COMESA’s commitment to sustainable development.