COMESA in renewed push for regional visa
Regional economic bloc The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, COMESA, is championing for regional visa to fastrack movement of business community and boost tourism as push for African regional integration intensifies.
The bloc is hosting a two day business council consultative dialogue at its headquarters in Lusaka, Zambia and has invited the private sector, immigration experts and diplomatic community from its 20 member countries.
Its main objective is to review and validate the proposed Comesa Business Visa.
Anchored on the theme “facilitating the movement of business persons, trade and regional integration”, the dialogue will enhance deliberations between the private sector and governments on pertinent migration issues to ensure existing policies contribute to increased trade, tourism flows, and business engagement in the region.
“The common visa and multiple entry scheme will be a welcome instrument that will spur business and regional integration,” Comesa Business Council CEO Sandra Uwera said.
The common visa initiative is a follow-up to the recommendations that were presented to the Comesa Council of Ministers by the private sector in 2012, on the need to come up with an interim solution to facilitate the movement of business persons.
The CBC has been working on developing the proposed instruments that can be adopted as a Comesa Business Visa, which will provide for multiple entries for business persons in the region.
The proposed instrument will be tabled for adoption before the Comesa policy organs and summit meetings that will take place in Madagascar between October 10 and 19.
If adopted, the visa scheme could be operational in the next two years. The initiative will add to the East Africa Community’s single tourist visa.
