Kenya’s president Dr William Ruto has taken over the chairmanship of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and calling out for digital transformation in the continent.
“It is with profound gratitude, humility, and a deep sense of purpose that I stand before you today as the new chair of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). I thank you for the trust you have placed in me and in the people of the Republic of Kenya to lead this great regional organisation, one that remains a cornerstone of Africa’s economic transformation and a model for continental integration under the African Union,” he said.
Ruto said that his COMESA leadership agenda as the chair is ‘Leveraging Digitalisation to Deepen Regional Value Chains for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth’.
He said the future of Africa’s prosperity, and its rightful place in the global economy, will be defined by how effectively they harness the transformative power of digital technology.
“For far too long, Africa has been a passive recipient and consumer of technology. The time has come for us to become producers, innovators, and exporters of digital solutions, shaping our own economic destiny,” said the COMESA chairman.
He called on the African leaders to digitalise every aspect of trade facilitation by investing jointly in physical and digital infrastructure, modern transport corridors, regional data centres, and secure cloud services.
“Together, we can build a COMESA that is digital, dynamic, and deeply inclusive, a bloc that truly reflects the promise of a rising Africa, ” said the Kenyan president .
Ruto thanked the COMESA members for the confidence and trust they bestowed on him into making him the leader of the regional block.
Ruto called on African countries to adopt the model of being borderless by making the continent accessible to each other by making it visa free. “It is in this spirit that Kenya has taken the progressive decision to become visa-free for most African nationals, affirming our belief that Africa’s strength lies in its openness and unity, ” he said.
He added: “We are optimistic that our sister countries across the continent will take similar bold steps so that, together, we may unlock the full potential of a borderless, connected, and prosperous Africa.”
