COMESA warns of drought threat to regional integration

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THE Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has raised concerns about the devastating impact of recurring droughts on regional integration, especially as Southern Africa grapples with the aftermath of an El Niño-induced drought that severely impacted harvests.

“Recurring droughts are a real danger to integration,” warned Willard Mwemba, COMESA Competition Commission director and chief executive officer, in an interview with The Financial Gazette.
“When you have all these droughts, it means countries are now becoming very conscious of exporting their produce because they do not know what will happen next year or the year after.”

He highlighted the reluctance of countries to export even during bumper harvests, fearing future shortages.
“Even when they have a bumper harvest, they would rather keep the produce and not export it to another country where there is a shortage,” Mwemba explained.
This cautious approach directly contradicts the core principle of integration, which COMESA defines as the free movement of goods and services, including food, across member states.
The urgency of the situation is underscored by a recent alert from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), which estimates that over 30 million people in Southern Africa will require emergency food aid between October 2024 and March 2025 due to the drought.
Despite these challenges, Mwemba also highlighted the commission’s achievements since its inception in 2013, having handled over 430 mergers and acquisitions, more than 45 restrictive business practices, and over 50 consumer protection cases.
He also noted a significant increase in appeals lodged with the Appeals Board, rising from one case in 2022 to three additional cases over the past year.
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