COMESA Summit will hold its 18th meeting this month in Ethiopia when Heads of State and Governments of 19 Member bloc of countries comes together.

The biggest annual event of COMESA will be held at the African Union Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa on 30th and 31st March 2015.

The Summit is also referred as the Authority and is in charge of the general policy direction and control of the performance of the executive functions of the organization. The incumbent Chairman of COMESA, Joseph Kabange, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo will transfer chairmanship to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn during the summit.

“Inclusive and sustainable industrialization”, the theme for this year’s meeting, is meant to address industrialization in a holistic way. The theme was chosen through consultations between the COMESA Secretariat and the incoming chairman of the Authority, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, according to the organization website.

Council of Ministers which is the second forum in the hierarchy of COMESA will convene in advance of the Summit. It’s authorized to monitor COMESA’s activities, including supervision of the Secretariat and recommend on policy direction and development. Its decision is obligatory to all Member States.

Meeting of the Administrative and Budgetary Committee will be on 20 March and followed by the Intergovernmental Committee (IC), the COMESA Business Council (CBC) forum, the Council of Ministers, EPA Council of Ministers and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

Intergovernmental Committee is responsible for the development of programmes and action plans in all fields of co-operation excluding the finance and monetary sector.

The voice of private sector in COMESA, COMESA Business Council will be co-hosted with the Ethiopian National Chamber of Commerce for two days open forum whose key subject is fighting IIIicit Trade-Taking Action for Industrial Competitiveness.

Source: COMESA