The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

The history of COMESA began in December 1994 when it was established to replace the former Preferential Trading Area (PTA) which had existed since the early days of 1981. COMESA (as defined by its Treaty) was created "as an organization of sovereign States which have agreed to cooperate for the purpose of the development of their natural and human resources for the benefit of all their peoples" and, as such, it covers a wide range of its priority objectives, including the promotion of peace and security in the region. However, due to the history and economic background of COMESA, its main objective is to become a large economic and trading community capable of overcoming some of the obstacles faced by individual states. COMESA's current strategy can thus be summed up in the phrase “economic prosperity through regional integration”. Comprised of its 21 member states, characterized by a population of over 583 million, a gross domestic product of USD 805 billion and a global export/import trade in goods worth USD 324 billion, COMESA constitutes a major market for domestic and foreign trade. Geographically speaking, with an area of 12 million (km²), COMESA covers nearly two-thirds of the African continent.