Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
Marché commun de l'Afrique orientale et australe Mercado Comum da África Oriental e Austral |
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Anthem: People of Africa[1] |
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Map of membership in the COMESA
Current members
Former members
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Seat of Secretariat | Lusaka, Zambia | |
Official languages | English, French and Portuguese | |
Type | Trade bloc | |
Membership | 20 member states | |
Leaders | ||
- | Secretary General | Sindiso Ngwenya |
Establishment | ||
- | Signed | 5 November 1993 |
- | Ratified | 8 December 1994 |
Website http://www.comesa.int/ |
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, is a free trade area with nineteen member states stretching from Libya to Zimbabwe. COMESA formed in December 1994, replacing a Preferential Trade Area which had existed since 1981. Nine of the member states formed a free trade area in 2000 (Djibouti, Egypt, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe), with Rwanda and Burundi joining the FTA in 2004 and the Comoros and Libya in 2006.
COMESA is one of the pillars of the African Economic Community.
In 2008, COMESA agreed to an expanded free-trade zone including members of two other African trade blocs, the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).
Contents |
Current members:
Former members:
The following organs have decision-making power according to the treaties
The following lower policy organs make recommendations to the above:
Other institutions created to promote development are:
African Economic Community |
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Pillars regional blocs (REC)1 |
Area (km²) | Population | GDP (PPP) ($US) | Member states |
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in millions | per capita | ||||
AEC | 29,910,442 | 853,520,010 | 2,053,706 | 2,406 | 54 |
ECOWAS | 5,112,903 | 251,646,263 | 342,519 | 1,361 | 15 |
ECCAS | 6,667,421 | 121,245,958 | 175,928 | 1,451 | 11 |
SADC | 9,882,959 | 233,944,179 | 737,335 | 3,152 | 15 |
EAC | 1,817,945 | 124,858,568 | 104,239 | 1,065 | 5 |
COMESA | 12,873,957 | 406,102,471 | 735,599 | 1,811 | 20 |
IGAD | 5,233,604 | 187,969,775 | 225,049 | 1,197 | 7 |
Other African blocs |
Area (km²) | Population | GDP (PPP) ($US) | Member states |
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in millions | per capita | ||||
CEMAC 2 | 3,020,142 | 34,970,529 | 85,136 | 2,435 | 6 |
SACU 2 | 2,693,418 | 51,055,878 | 541,433 | 10,605 | 5 |
UEMOA 2 | 3,505,375 | 80,865,222 | 101,640 | 1,257 | 8 |
UMA 3 | 5,782,140 | 84,185,073 | 491,276 | 5,836 | 5 |
GAFTA 4 | 5,876,960 | 166,259,603 | 635,450 | 3,822 | 5 |
1 The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) is a signatory to the AEC, but not participating in any bloc yet 2 Economic bloc inside a pillar REC smallest value among the blocs compared
largest value among the blocs compared
During 2004. Source: CIA World Factbook 2005, IMF WEO Database |
African Union |
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