COMESA calls for bold action to boost climate-smart agriculture
LUSAKA, August 15, 2025 — Ministers of Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa [COMESA] region have called for accelerated efforts in boosting productivity by adopting climate-smart agriculture, expanding irrigation, removing trade barriers and filling infrastructure gaps.
In his address to the 9th Joint Ministerial Meeting held in Lusaka recently, Zambia’s Minister of Agriculture, Reuben Mtolo Phiri pointed out that the agriculture sector, which is the cornerstone of COMESA’s economies and food systems, stands at a pivotal crossroads.
He noted that stagnation in productivity, climate shocks, fragmented markets, trade barriers and insufficient sector investment have continuously held back the region’s transformation agenda. He called for bold, decisive and collective action while reimagining and redefining the future by courageously addressing these barriers.
“Let our focus be on practical, innovative solutions that will directly improve the lives of our citizens. The outcomes of this meeting must be bold, actionable, and uncompromising laying the groundwork for resilient, competitive, and inclusive regional value chains,” Minister Phiri said.
The Minister reaffirmed Zambia’s commitment to COMESA’s vision of leveraging agriculture as a critical driver of industrialization and regional integration.
He highlighted the Zambia-Zimbabwe Common Agro-Industrial Park initiative as a powerful example of cross-border collaboration designed to catalyze industrial growth and provide sustainable employment for the youth.
“Such innovative initiatives should be scaled up across our region, accelerating intra-COMESA trade and deepening the foundation for transformational economic development,”
COMESA Secretary General Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe informed the ministers of the different programmes that the Secretariat has continued to provide support to member states which include implementation of the EU-funded Regional Enterprise Competitiveness and Access to Markets Programme [RECAMP], the Regional Food Balance Sheet initiative that aims to enhance timely access to near-real time data for decision making on food security early warning as well as increased evidence-based economic and trade policies.
The COMESA Secretariat is also collaborating with the AU-IBAR, FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health [WOAH] to improve the production and productivity of animal resources and eradicate Transboundary Animal Diseases.
To address Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and Technical Barriers to Trade, COMESA has actively supported several Member States to conclude Mutual Recognition Agreements, with focus on facilitating smoother cross-border trade in key staple commodities.
Through the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa [ACTESA], the organisation has advanced the COMESA Seed Harmonization Implementation Plan [COMSHIP] to facilitate movement and access to quality seeds across the region a move which will trigger the regional seed trade, to two million metric tonnes by 2031 from about 500,000 MT/year currently.
European Union Head of Delegation Claudio Bacigalupi reaffirmed the European Union’s steadfast support to the COMESA region, highlighting the RECAMP as a tangible demonstration of the joint ambition to deepen regional economic integration while ensuring that this development remains inclusive, environmentally responsible and climate-smart.
He observed that through RECAMP, the region has witnessed progress in scaling up private sector participation along regional value chains, with deliberate efforts to embed environmental sustainability and resource efficiency into business practices.
“The active involvement of COMESA Member States in programme design and implementation has enabled the formulation of responsive policies that align economic development with sustainable management of land, water, and biodiversity,” Bacigalupi said.
African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment Moses Vilakati also addressed the meeting.
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