At the 24th Summit of the COMESA Authority of Heads of State and Government, convened from October 7–9, 2025 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, leaders from 21 member countries gathered under the theme “Leveraging Digitalisation to Deepen Regional Value Chains for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth.”
The Summit, preceded by a Business Forum on October 7 and a Foreign Ministers’ meeting on October 8, set an ambitious tone. Heads of State, Vice Presidents, Prime Ministers, and senior policymakers joined private sector representatives to explore how digitalisation, policy harmonisation, and infrastructure can turn regional aspirations into tangible trade gains.
At the opening session, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, reaffirmed the AU’s determination to deepen regional and continental integration through stronger cooperation among Regional Economic Communities (RECs). His message came at a critical time: with the expiry of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the introduction of new U.S. tariffs on African exports, the urgency for a fully operational African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has grown.
Mr. Youssouf called on RECs to eliminate persistent non-tariff barriers and to adopt technical protocols, such as customs integration, regulatory alignment, and digital trade facilitation, that would enable seamless intra-African commerce. Without these measures, he cautioned, the dream of a unified African market risks remaining rhetorical. He also pointed to the tripartite COMESA–EAC–SADC configuration as a promising model for convergence, one capable of aligning Africa’s fragmented trade architecture and steering the continent toward unity, resilience, and self-reliance.
During the Summit, President William Ruto of Kenya formally assumed the rotating chairmanship of the COMESA Authority of Heads of State, taking over from Burundi. In his acceptance speech, he called for the strengthening of African financial institutions capable of mobilising and directing capital toward continental priorities. The existing global financial system, he argued, was designed in a different era and continues to marginalise developing economies.
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To underscore Kenya’s commitment, President Ruto announced that his government would increase its capital injection into regional development finance institutions, adding USD 100 million to the Trade and Development Bank (TDB), in addition to the USD 50 million already committed to Afreximbank. He linked these financial commitments to broader policy actions, including Kenya’s removal of visa requirements for many African nationals and its push to deepen regional value chains.
Ruto’s leadership offers a strategic opportunity for Kenya to drive reforms that make COMESA a more efficient and digitally connected trade bloc. If Nairobi’s efforts to streamline border systems, harmonise standards, and champion digitalisation yield visible results, they could inspire replication across member states, transforming COMESA from a largely declarative bloc into a genuinely operational economic corridor.
COMESA remains one of Africa’s largest trading blocs, yet its potential remains under-realised. Intra-COMESA trade is still modest, and Africa’s contribution to global trade is roughly 3 percent, with intra-African trade hovering at about 14 percent, well below levels in other regions. The Summit deliberations therefore centred on accelerating the implementation of key trade facilitation tools and financial mechanisms.
Among the initiatives highlighted was COMESA’s Digital Retail Payments Platform, which enables cross-border transactions in local currencies to reduce reliance on external payment systems and cut transaction costs for small and medium enterprises. Kenya’s rollout of an electronic Certificate of Origin was also showcased as a step toward reducing paperwork and expediting export processing. In addition, leaders discussed corridor infrastructure upgrades, policy harmonisation, and the embedding of climate and environmental safeguards within value chain expansion plans.
Bilateral engagements also featured prominently. On the sidelines of the Summit, heads of government discussed cooperation on industrialisation, renewable energy, and regional manufacturing partnerships. The AU Chairperson met with President Ruto to review progress on AU institutional reforms and preparations for the upcoming Special Summit on Reforms in Luanda, underscoring the link between trade, governance, and institutional renewal.
Taken together, the messages emerging from Nairobi underscored a collective desire for “African trade sovereignty.” With the end of AGOA and new tariff regimes reshaping global commerce, African leaders recognise that reliance on external markets can no longer anchor the continent’s growth strategy. The AU Chair’s call for policy alignment and Kenya’s financial commitments to African institutions reflect a shared conviction: Africa must strengthen its internal economic foundations.
Economically, enhanced REC cooperation and AfCFTA implementation could redirect investment flows inward, toward manufacturing, agro-processing, and green industries. If tariff and non-tariff barriers are dismantled, intra-African trade could scale up, supply chains could regionalise, and resilience to external shocks would improve. Structural transformation, as envisioned by the AU, would then move beyond mere trade volume toward higher-value production rooted in African capacity.
Institutionally, Kenya’s capital commitments to Afreximbank and TDB signal a growing recognition that financial integration is as vital as trade integration. These institutions are expected to fund cross-border infrastructure, value chain development, and sustainable investment, essential pillars for inclusive growth. The Summit’s underlying message is that Africa cannot outsource its financial sovereignty. Global credit rating systems and lending standards, often designed without African contexts in mind, must be counterbalanced by robust regional financial mechanisms.
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However, challenges persist; Harmonizing trade protocols across overlapping RECs remains complex, and disparities in infrastructure, administrative capacity, and political will could impede progress. Protectionist instincts in certain sectors may also slow convergence. Moreover, sustainability must be built into expansion efforts: without environmental oversight and climate-smart practices, increased trade volumes could aggravate ecological strain and social inequality.
For East Africa and the COMESA region, the Nairobi Summit could mark a turning point. Kenya’s chairmanship presents a practical opportunity to champion the reduction of trade barriers, improve border management, and advance the digital economy. If progress materialises, it could reposition COMESA as a continental exemplar of integration in action.
The AU Chair’s words carried both urgency and realism. Amid shifting trade regimes, the climate crisis, and geopolitical re-ordering, integration grounded in strong institutions and shared vision is not a luxury, it is a necessity. In Nairobi, the AU and COMESA leaders went beyond rhetoric: they pledged to anchor Africa’s future in its own markets, its own capital, and its own capacity to trade as one.
As Africa pursues climate action, energy transition, and industrial resurgence in 2025, the Summit’s decisions carry lasting weight. The handshake between the AU’s institutional drive and Kenya’s financial commitment may well form the blueprint for the continent’s next chapter, one where Africa’s trade sovereignty moves from aspiration to execution.
