By Nicholas Waitathu
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) member states should intensify efforts to generate wealth by harnessing their human capital, advancing technological innovation, and fostering strategic business partnerships.
Speaking at the 18th COMESA Business Forum held in Nairobi, Kenya’s Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki emphasized that, beyond mobilizing financial resources, the region has vast potential in its quality human resources, particularly among the youth and women, who if well utilized, could significantly drive wealth creation.
“We must integrate the youth and women into business and development spheres. Our countries benefit from a favourable demographic profile, and we must fully embrace this asset to realize our wealth creation goals.
“Additionally, we must remain current with emerging technologies and strategically leverage them to boost business and economic growth. While Africa has made significant progress in adopting modern technologies, more can still be done,” said Prof. Kindiki.
He said the Kenyan government is supporting the horticulture sector by investing in value addition, infrastructure development, and transitioning from air to sea freight to reduce the carbon footprint.
However, Prof. Kindiki acknowledged that the horticulture industry faces significant challenges such as stiff competition in export markets, water scarcity, high air freight costs, and supply chain disruptions caused by maritime security threats.
“Value addition presents one of the greatest opportunities for higher returns. It promotes industrialization, enhances productivity, drives technological advancement, creates high-quality jobs, and improves competitiveness. Public and private sectors must collaborate to create an enabling environment for business growth, innovation, and expansion,” he said.
Also speaking at the forum, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Investment, Trade and Industry, Lee Kinyanjui,lauded the forum for promoting digital innovation, agricultural modernization, and strategic partnerships.
“We are building not just digital infrastructure, but an ecosystem where technology drives trade, efficiency, and job creation. Agriculture is being transformed into a resilient, high-value sector that feeds our people and powers our industries,” Kinyanju said.
He said the COMESA–Europe Horticulture Connect event on Monday brought together EU buyers and regional producers, marking a key step in strengthening trade partnerships with Europe.
COMESA Secretary General Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe highlighted the bloc’s achievements since its founding in 1994, including growing intra-regional trade to nearly US$14 billion and implementing trade facilitation tools like the Regional Customs Guarantee Scheme and Yellow Card System.
“Despite global economic challenges, COMESA’s growth reached 5.7% in 2023. However, intra-COMESA trade declined by 3.6% in 2024—from US$14.2 billion to US$13.7 billion—due to inflation, currency volatility, and geopolitical disruptions,” Kapwepwe said.