By Siphesihle Dlamini
IN a ceremony held on Friday, Lindiwe Kunene, the High Commissioner of the Kingdom of Eswatini to the Republic of Zambia, was officially accredited as the permanent representative to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
Her appointment comes as she replaces Dumsile Sukati, who previously held the position. In her remarks, she expressed gratitude to COMESA and its member states for permitting Eswatini to engage in trade under derogation, covering various products such as sugar-based drink concentrates, sugar, fridges, freezers, and slide fasteners.
Kunene humbly expressed the desire for technical support in the digitalisation of customs borders for small-scale cross-border traders. She emphasised that the Kingdom of Eswatini has been diligently working towards joining the COMESA Free Trade Area (FTA), in line with the summit decision of September 1, 2010. The EAC-SADC-COMESA free trade area agreement has been signed and ratified by Eswatini, showcasing the country’s commitment to regional integration.
COMESA Secretary General, Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, warmly congratulated Kunene on her new role and expressed the organisation’s enthusiasm for working closely with her to further support and cooperate with the Kingdom of Eswatini. Kapwepwe highlighted COMESA’s unwavering assistance to Eswatini across various sectors, including trade and customs, agriculture and industry, gender and social affairs, climate change, and migration programs.
Eswatini is one of the 16 member states that have received support from COMESA towards regional integration programs. Kapwepwe proudly shared that in 2019, Eswatini experienced a remarkable 10.3 per cent increase in total exports, surpassing E3.9 billion and reaching over E4.3 billion. Furthermore, Eswatini stands out as one of the COMESA member states with a positive intra-COMESA trade balance in 2020, amounting to over E3.5 billion.
Kapwepwe also highlighted the opportunities available for Eswatini through the 50 million African Women Speak Digital Platform. This platform empowers women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by providing access to crucial business information, capacity building, market opportunities, and other essential services.
In the agricultural sector, COMESA has been instrumental in supporting Eswatini’s development and expansion of a legal metrology legislative framework, aligning it with international standards set by the International Organisation for Legal Metrology and the World Trade Organisation.
Additionally, the COMESA Federation of Women in Business, in collaboration with the Center of Financial Inclusion and the World Food Programme in Eswatini, has been actively strengthening the capacity of women farmers’ groups as local produce suppliers in the Home-Grown School Feeding Program.