1. Regional Agriculture Trade-Their Challenges and Opportunities
 USAID Kenya and East Africa Regional Trade Africa and Feed the Future Meeting
Regional Agriculture Trade-Their Challenges and Opportunities
Argent Chuula
CEO-ACTESA

2. REGIONAL INTEGRATION INDICATORS

3. Gross Domestic Product : $667 billion
VISION: “To be a fully integrated, internationally competitive regional economic community with high standards of living for all its people ready to merge into an African Union”
Size: 11.6 Million sq. km
Population: 482 million
Gross Domestic Product : $667 billion
Annual Imports: US$ 209 billion
Annual Exports: US$ 105 billion

4. The Objective of COMESA is to create and maintain:
A full Free Trade Area guaranteeing the free movement of goods and services produced within COMESA and the removal of all tariffs and non-tariff barriers:
A Customs Union under which goods and services imported from non-COMESA countries will attract an agreed single tariff in all COMESA Member States
Free movement of people, capital and investment supported by the adoption of a common investment area so as to create a more favorable investment climate
Payment and monetary union with a common currency
15 November 2018

5. Program activities Trade liberalization Trade facilitation
Financial and monetary systems
Payment systems and financial institutions
Investment
Agriculture & Agriculture Commodity Trade– (ACTESA)
Private Sector Support
Immigration and free movement of persons
Peace and Security
xxx
15 November 2018

6. Decision Making structure

7. ACTESA STRATEGIC FOCUS
Mission
Integrate smallholder farmers into national, regional and international markets through an improved policy environment and expanded market facilities /services
Focus Area one
Policy Research Outreach and Advocacy
Prioritysues:
Trade Policy
Investment Policy
Sector-Specific Policies
Research
Stakeholder outreach
Focus Area Two
Expanding Market Services and Facilities
Priority Issues:
Market facilities and services, information system and service Forum
(CAADP pillar II)
Focus Area Three
Capacity Building for Commercialization
Pri Issues:
Productivity and technology adoption
Development of farmer organisations
Development of Farmer Organisations
(CAADP pillar III)

8. COMESA SEED PROGRAM: COMSHIP CURRENT STATUS
COMSHIP launched in 13 COMESA Member States, now remaining with Comoros, Seychelles, Eritrea, Mauritius, Djibouti, South Sudan
Rwanda was first country to align to COMESA Seed System in March, 2016 with aligned regulations ready awaiting approval for DR Congo, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
On awareness creation, over 10,000 COMESA Seed Trade Harmonisation Regulations and 3,000 printed and distributed

9. COMESA SEED PROGRAM: WHERE WE ARE NOW
A comprehensive COMESA Seed Training programme developed and to be implemented soon
COMESA Variety Catalogue on-line, seed companies are requested to register their regional varieties and ACTESA is looking forward to testing the COMESA Seed System
Three COMSHIP committees in place and operational, namely Seed Advisory Committee, COMESA Seed Committee and Seed Technical Working Group
First COMSHIP Mutual Accountability Meeting held in February, 2016, now aiming to develop the mutual accountability framework in close collaboration with Africa Lead
COMESA Seed Committee

10. WAY FORWARD
COMSHIP official launch needed for Eritrea, Comoros, Seychelles South Sudan, Djibouti and Mauritius
More resources needed for COMSHIP implementation in Egypt, Sudan, Swaziland, Madagascar
Conduct Seed baseline study for the 19 COMESA Member States in close collaboration with The African Seed Access Index (TASAI) and Integrated Seed Sector Development (ISSD) to enhance Seed information System
Awareness creation on the COMESA Variety catalogue and COMESA Seed System needed for all the COMESA Member States

11. COMSHIP BUDGET NEEDED Activities Budget (USD$)
COMSHIP official launch in Eritrea, Comoros, Seychelles South Sudan, Djibouti and Mauritius with road map development
300,000.00
COMSHIP implementation in Egypt, Sudan, Swaziland, Madagascar
2,000,000.00
Seed information System baseline study in close collaboration with TASAI and ISSD
1,500,000.00
Awareness creation of COMESA Seed System (COMESA Variety catalogue) in 19 COMESA member States
1,425,000.00
Total
5,225,000.00

12. BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOSAFETY

13. BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOSAFETY Policy Framework and Implementation Plan in place
COMESA BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOSAFETY POLICY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (COMBIP)
“A COMESA STRATEGY TO IMPLEMENT THE COMESA REGIONAL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOSAFETY POLICY, LEADING TO INCREASED INVESTMENT IN BIOTECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS AND AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY TRADE IN THE REGION”

14. Status in COMESA MS Confined Release Multilocation Sudan Uganda Egypt
Contained
Confined
Release
Multilocation
Production
Zimbabwe
Preparedness
Legal
Institutional
Infrastructure
Public awareness
Swaziland
Kenya
Malawi
Sudan
Egypt (Maize)
Uganda Egypt
Zambia
Ethiopia
PROGRESS

15. Overall Goal of COMBIP: Increased Investment in Biotechnology Applications and Agricultural Commodity Trade in the COMESA Region
1. COMBIP has been designed towards achieving an overall goal of “Increased investment in Biotechnology Applications and Agricultural Commodity Trade in the Region within five years.

16. Strategic Objectives
1. Strengthen Awareness and Communication 2. Establish and Institutionalize a Regional Level Biosafety Risk-Assessment Mechanism 3. Support Biosafety Regulatory Capacity and Biotechnology Development in COMESA Member States

17. BIOTECH BUDGET ESTIMATE
Strategic Objectives
Budget (USD$)
1. Awareness and Communication
 2,500,000
2. Establishing a regional level biosafety risk-assessment system
1,500,000
3. Support for capacity building
 2,200,000
Total
6,200,000.00

18. COMESA FERTILIZER PROGRAM: (Harmonization, Financing, Supply Chain, Distribution)
Harmonization of conflicting fertilizer policies and regulatory frameworks,
Establishment of a financing mechanism to finance the bulk procurement or manufacturing of fertilizers,
Mapping of a systematic supply chain of bulk fertilizer imports as well as the port logistics and,
Strengthening of domestic marketing and distribution of fertilizer to the farm gate through the development of agrodealer networks and profiling of farmer organization/associations and linking them to finance and inputs.

19. Policy & Regulatory Framework: 6 Phases
Phase 1: Undertaking a review of current national policy, legal and regulatory frameworks affecting fertilizer markets in the COMESA member
Phase 2: Convening of a high-level regional workshop to consider the Synthesis Report for validation and preparation of a roadmap for the harmonization of fertilizer policies and regulations in the COMESA member states.
Phase 3: Formation of four technical committees; i) Policy, Regulation and Legislation ii) Fertilizer Standards iii) Quality Assurance and iv) Market Development which will hold several meetings/discussions for at least one year to discuss, deliberate and agree on the main elements of different standards, regulations, policies and other relevant issues to be harmonized. The outcomes of these discussions will result in a draft COMESA Fertilizer Standards and Regulations Framework which will be passed through the COMESA policy approval structures.

20. Policy & Regulatory Framework: 6 Phases
Phase 4: Legal drafting of the framework document by a legal expert. The outcome of this will be the Draft COMESA Fertilizer Regulations.
Phase 5: The draft COMESA Fertilizer Regulations will then be presented to the Ministers of Agriculture, the Ministers Justice and Legal Affairs and the COMESA Council of Ministers for approval and endorsement into a binding policy of the COMESA Harmonized Fertilizer Regulations.
Phase 6: Domestication and Implementation

21. Fertilizer Programme Status
To date Phases 1 and 2 of the program have been undertaken. Through the complimentary support from the AFAP, ACTESA undertook national and sub regional policy review of the SADC and EAC. The outcome of the reviews was: National review reports from COMESA member states; and sub-regional review reports for SADC and EAC.
ACTESA is currently implementing activities under Phase 3.
In line with scheduled activities under Phase 3, the four regional technical committees have been established.

22. Challenges Inadequate funding for implementation of activities.
Some countries have not submitted representatives to the technical committees. As a result we are working closely with COMESA country officers to obtain names of nominees.

23. Required Budget Technical Committees Meetings: USD 300,000
One Year of Policy & Regulatory discussions in national and regional meetings: USD 1,000,000
Legal Drafting: & Translation to Arabic & French: USD 50,000
Developing the Draft policy and regulations and presentation to policy organs for approval: USD 300,000
Developing of Fertilizer Policy & Regulations Implementation Plan: USD 50,000
Implementation /Domestication: USD 5,000,000
Total USD 6,650,000

24. OVERALL GOAL
END HUNGER

25. Thank You