KAMPALA – Trade Minister Ms. Amelia Kyambadde has Tuesday June 18 officially launched the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Local Sourcing for partnerships training happening now at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala.
The Comesa Business Council, a private arm of the trading bloc, is sourcing and linking suppliers to buyers as a way of creating market in the region.
Ms. Kyambadde has emphasized the need to build competitive and sustainable relationships to grow the regional economies
She said the project is timely and will help address the core market gaps between producers and local buyers.
“It also provides a critical solution towards improving competitiveness, quality control and consistency of supply of our products to regional and international markets,” She said.
Kyambadde is confident regional producers in different sectors will benefit from the project, thanks to the training on standards and food safety requirements for enterprises and private sector commitment to support the initiative.
The COMESA region remains ‘critically’ low, calling for structural mechanisms that encourage consumption of home-grown products within the COMESA bloc.
Companies often source outside the region due to various reasons, including quality issues and consistency in supply, as well as timely delivery and high cost.
There is also the challenge of limited and credible information from local suppliers, which affects partnership confidence between buyers and suppliers,
