Validation of the policy, legal, regulatory, and institutional framework for the establishment and management of the common agro-industrial park and of the assessment report on the maize and dairy value chains in Zambia and Zimbabwe

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in collaboration with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretariat and the Ministries of Commerce and Industry in Zambia and Zimbabwe, will organize an expert group meeting (AEGM) to review and validate the draft policy, legal, regulatory and institutional framework for the establishment and management of the common agro-industrial park (CAIP) and institutional framework between the two countries and a study on the Assessment of the regional maize and dairy value chains in Zambia and Zimbabwe under the project on Strengthening Member State Capacity to Develop Regional Agricultural Value Chains to Enhance diversification and intra-African trade in Harare, Zimbabwe on August 10-11, 2022.

 

The AEGM will access the adequacy of the draft policy framework in outlining the expectations and responsibilities of government and other stakeholders in the initiative and of the legal and regulatory frameworks in making the policy justiciable as well as the sufficiency of the institutional framework in providing an efficient management and administration framework. The findings of the value chains study will complement the review of the CAIP policy as these two value chains are amongst the nine target value chains under the common park initiative.

 

The common agro-industrial park is being implemented under the Joint Industrialisation Cooperation framework between Zambia and Zimbabwe, anchored on Article 99 of the COMESA Treaty which encourages Member States to cooperate in industrial development to achieve the broad objectives of self-sustained and balanced growth and transformation. The AEGM to validate the policy, legal, regulatory and institutional framework follows the preparation and validation of the prefeasibility study on the park in May 2021, followed by project sensitization meetings in the two countries and the successful organization of a high level meeting of the Permanent Secretaries of the respective Ministries of Commerce and Industry from the two countries.

 

The AEGM will be attended by representatives of the two governments, especially from the Ministries responsible for Agriculture, Commerce and Industry and the related institutions, the private sector (including chambers of commerce and industry), micro small and medium enterprises representatives, academia and women business organization and  the United Nations family in Zimbabwe.

For any additional information on the meeting and attendant logistics contact:

 

Ms. Grace Kaonga
Staff Assistant
UNECA Southern Africa Office
P. O Box 30647
Lusaka, Zambia
Tel: +260 211 228502-5
Fax: +260 211 236949
Email: kaonga.uneca@un.org

 

 

Oliver Maponga
Economic Affairs Officer
UNECA Southern Africa Office
P. O Box 30647
Lusaka, Zambia
Tel: +260 211 228502-5
Fax: +260 211 236949
Email: mapongao@un.org

 

and

 

Esther Mwimba and Innocent Makwiramiti
Industry & Agriculture Division 
COMESA Secretariat 
Ben Bella Road, P.O. Box 30051, 
Lusaka, Zambia 
Phone: +260 211 229725/32 
Fax: +260 211 225107 
Email: emwimba@comesa.int; imakwiramiti@comesa.int