President Hichilema to hand over COMESA leadership at 23rd summit in October

The Chairperson of the COMESA Authority, President Hakainde Hichilema, is set to hand over leadership to President Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi at the upcoming 23rd COMESA Summit.

The leadership transition is scheduled for October 31, 2024, in Bujumbura, Burundi.

COMESA Secretary-General, Chileshe Kapwepwe, confirmed the transition during a briefing at the Taj Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka on Friday, where she provided an overview of the summit.

“The transfer of instruments of power will culminate in the ushering in of a new Bureau of the Authority,” Kapwepwe stated.

The new COMESA Bureau will comprise the Chairperson from Burundi, the Vice Chairperson from Eswatini, and the Rapporteur from Zambia.

Key outcomes of the summit are expected to include discussions on the 44th meeting of the Council of Ministers and the meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs on peace and security in the COMESA region.

Kapwepwe also noted that the summit would review the state of regional integration, particularly focusing on the implementation of the COMESA Mid-Term Strategic Plan for 2021-2025.

Other agenda items included the business forum declaration, priority issues in COMESA programmes, the 2023 annual report, and the final communiqué of the COMESA Authority.

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