Farm visits were an exciting and remarkable addition to the COMESA Multisectoral Trade Exhibition, the inaugural COMESA-EU Horticulture Connect, and the 18th COMESA Business Forum held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 6-9 October 2025.
CEHA, in collaboration with the COMESA EDF Institutional Capacity Building Programme, was delighted to facilitate farm visits for the COMESA small-scale farmers and the EU buyers who were keen to undertake farm visits at Sian Flowers, Sereni Fries Limited, Kevian Kenya Limited (KKL), and Exotic Penina Field Group, on the outskirts of Nairobi.
The farm visits provided an incredible opportunity and platform for knowledge and information sharing, networking, and exchange of experiences and best practices. This was a demonstration of the crucial role of practical market linkages in advancing strategic engagement, building partnerships that enhance market access and distribution networks.
Delve into highlights of the COMESA-EU Horticulture Connect, beyond an event, unforgettable moments brought together COMESA Horticulture producers and European Union buyers from the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Italy to co-create business opportunities, advance strategic engagement, build partnerships, and create market linkages.
Together, CEHA and the COMESA EDF Institutional Capacity Building Programme are championing the unlocking of the horticulture sector for competitiveness, enhanced trade facilitation, regional integration, and global market linkages.
A remarkable and transformative journey has begun!!! The first-ever COMESA-EU Horticulture Connect has been unveiled in Nairobi, Kenya, bringing together COMESA Horticulture producers and European Union buyers from the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Italy to co-create business opportunities, advance strategic engagement, build partnerships, and create market linkages.
Convened on the sidelines of the 18th COMESA Business Forum and the 24th COMESA Summit of Heads of State and Government, the COMESA EU- Horticulture Connect is in line with COMESA’s mandate to contribute to market access and trade facilitation. The connect was held under the theme: Leveraging Digitalisation to Deepen Regional Chains for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth.”
Hon. Mutahi Kagwe, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Kenya, delivered a keynote address, with the COMESA Secretary General, H.E. Chileshe Kapwepwe, Hon. Lee Kinyanjui, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, Kenya, Lana Žutelija, from the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Zambia, and COMESA delivering remarkable speeches.
Together, the speakers highlighted the importance of bold innovations, harmonised regional standards and policies, investments, and public-private partnerships in unlocking the horticulture sector for competitiveness, enhanced trade facilitation, regional integration, and global market linkages.
A high-level public-private partnership discussion brought to the fore the urgent need to address challenges impacting the horticultural sector; among them, lack of infrastructure, unstable policies, lack of harmonised standards, technology, capacity building, logistical challenges, and financing for horticulture farmers.
High-level dignitaries from the Government, Member States, the European Union, Agri-business, farmers, and ordinary citizens discussed various topics, including boosting agricultural productivity through smart agriculture to enhance the value chain, digitalization of trade and promotion of investment, and enhanced trade through digital transformation.
Secretary General Chileshe M. Kapwepwe remarked that the event offers an exciting opportunity to build on gains already achieved, adding that the engagement with the delegates from the European Union is essential to advance business partnerships and investment opportunities
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Hon. Mutahi Kagwe, urged the private sector to seize this moment as opportunities are vast in sustainable production, value addition, regional trade, and access to the lucrative European market. ” Let this COMESA–European Union Team Leader Environment and Climate, Rural Development, Trade Cooperation, Ms Lana Zutelija, pledged continued support from the European Union in promoting trade facilitation in the COMESA region.
Supported by the COMESA EDF Institutional Capacity Building Programme, the COMESA-EU Connect platform builds on the achievements of the EU-funded COMESA Regional Enterprise Competitiveness and Access to Markets Programme (RECAMP) by facilitating Business-to-Business meetings, farm visits, Business-to-Government engagements, and partnership dialogues, further strengthening market linkages and fostering inclusive economic growth.
Research suggests that Agriculture is the backbone of the COMESA and EAC regional economies, contributing significantly to employment, food security, and export earnings. Staples such as maize, potatoes, and rice; agricultural inputs including seed, fertilizer, and agrochemicals; and horticultural products such as fruits and vegetables represent key value chains supporting livelihoods and intra-regional trade.
However, the sector remains constrained by multiple non-tariff barriers such as non-harmonized Sanitary and Phytosanitary requirements, fragmented seed and input certification systems, and duplicative testing protocols, among other things.
These barriers not only raise transaction costs and delay cross-border trade, particularly for perishables, but also suppress private sector participation in the value chains, productivity, and regional food system resilience. Enhanced
To contribute to unlocking the full potential of agricultural value chains by eliminating NTBs and aligning regulatory frameworks, ACTESA and the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives, Uganda, have joined forces in championing a barrier-free regional trade environment that enables efficient, inclusive, and competitive horticultural value chains in Eastern and Southern Africa through spearheading the review of institutional arrangements and promoting coordination mechanisms for NTB Taskforces and SPS systems at the national and regional level.
This was manifested by the convening of the COMESA EAC Horticulture Accelerator, Regional Forum on NTB/SPS held in Entebbe, Uganda, on the 17th and 18th of September.
The Forum aimed to strengthen National and Regional NTB/SPS Taskforces in CEHA countries, including defining institutional mandates, coordination mechanisms, and governance structures for NTB/SPS oversight.
A crucial outcome of the meeting was the formalization of the role of CEHA National Chapters in national NTB monitoring and the institutionalization of the NTWG at the country level. This will contribute to ensuring that NTB/SPS-related issues in the horticulture sector across the CEHA target countries are tracked, investigated, reported, and addressed promptly.
Key stakeholders from the private and public sectors, including strategic partners like the GIZ and Trademark Africa, explored mechanisms to define institutional mandates and strengthen the governance structures of the regional NTB/SPS Taskforces.
Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade, Industry, Mr Deogratius Musagazi, and the ACTESA CEO, Dr John Mukuka, remarked on the critical role of functional NTB and SPS institutional frameworks in the elimination of NTBS.
The two speakers emphasized that trade barriers, including regulatory requirements, certification procedures, and compliance standards, lead to increased costs, delayed market access, and reduced competitiveness for small and medium-sized enterprises in the region.
Mr Deogratius Musagazi called for quick harmonization of Standards and Procedures through systematic coordination, while reducing compliance burdens. He stated that institutional frameworks are crucial in enabling the sharing of best practices, technical expertise, and capacity-building resources across member countries.
“Effective task forces serve as early warning systems and resolution mechanisms for emerging trade barriers. Based on global best practices and regional experiences, effective NTB and SPS task forces should incorporate several critical elements”, he remarked.
The ACTESA CEO explained that the COMESA-EAC Horticulture Accelerator (CEHA) was established to unlock the enormous potential of the fruit and vegetable sector as a driver of inclusive growth.
Dr Mukuka reaffirmed ACTESA’s commitment to working with EAC, governments, and development partners to ensure that NTB elimination is not only discussed but also implemented with urgency for the benefit of farmers, SMEs, and exporters.
Together, we are championing a barrier-free regional trade environment that enables efficient, inclusive, and competitive horticultural value chains in Eastern and Southern Africa.
We are excited to unveil one of the CEHA matching grants awardees, Masaka Cooperative Union. Based in Uganda, the Cooperative Union has, over the years, been active in promoting the growing of improved seedlings of horticulture products and training of smallholder farmers in extension services. The Cooperative Union also specializes in Coffee Production, which is deemed rewarding to its farmers for improved income and Livelihoods.
Meet John Mary, Head of monitoring for Masaka Cooperative Union, who now shares with us how the CEHA matching grants will propel Masaka Cooperative’s potential to reach greater heights.
Sustainable agriculture, a game changer in regional food security, is reshaping Africa’s food systems through accelerating agriculture’s role in regional economic development. This came to light at the 2025 Africa Food Systems Forum Summit, held in Dakar, Senegal, from August 31st to September 5th, 2025. With a focus on youths as a driver of agricultural transformation, the Summit was themed “Africa’s Youth: Driving Collaboration, Innovation, and the Transformation of Agri-Food Systems.”
The Summit was officially launched by Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was joined by Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, former Ethiopian Prime Minister Haile Mariam Dessalegn, and Senegal’s Agriculture Minister Mabouba Diagne, who remarked on the African continent’s potential to harness, unlock, and transform its food systems for self-sufficiency and sustained food security.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye underscored the relevance of inclusivity in agricultural transformation, unlocking socio-economic opportunities, and the necessity of reducing reliance on food imports to build sustainable food sovereignty.
‘’Our continent has all the potential needed to achieve food self-sufficiency. Africa could help feed the world. Africa should first rely on itself to feed itself. She needs to join a dynamic solution. Together, let us work to break the notion that agriculture is a survival sector’’, remarked H.E. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Republic of Senegal.
H.E. President of the Republic of Rwanda, H.E. Paul Kagame, remarked that the youths are key innovators and drivers of economic growth and agricultural transformation.
“Young people are the changemakers who are the heart of development. You must be out there actively engaged and find a purpose that guides you. Young people must make an effort to contribute and match the level of demands they are making. Support from government, institutions, including development institutions, to partner with you to take your ideas further will come, but you must be engaged.” -H.E. Paul Kagame.
ACTESA Chief Executive Officer, Dr John Mukuka, reaffirmed COMESA’s shared commitment to building resilient, climate-smart, data-driven food systems across Eastern and Southern Africa.
Speaking when he delivered a keynote speech at a side event dubbed “Production estimation
using satellite data and machine learning for Regional Food Balance and Security Monitoring, Dr Mukuka highlighted the crucial role of RFBS in ensuring proactive governance, stable markets,
increased intra-regional trade and agricultural transformation.
In a highly interactive panel discussion, RFBS Manager, Patrick Maingi, emphasised the role of RFBS in boosting farmer incomes, unlocking the agriculture trade and investment potential, and building Africa’s climate-smart food systems.
The summit highlighted the role of the continent’s fast-growing young population in a sector that contributes nearly a quarter of Africa’s GDP.
Key sessions of the forum addressed challenges of agricultural transformation, land access, youth participation, finance, innovation, and technology. The forum also reviewed the African Union’s new Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP/PDDAA), a roadmap for 2026–2035 to strengthen food sovereignty and cut reliance on imports.
Africa’s Food Systems Forum, formerly AGRF, is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture and food systems, bringing together stakeholders to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African food systems forward. Africa Food Systems Forum is designed to energize political will and advance the policies, programs, and investments required to achieve an inclusive and sustainable food systems transformation.
Hosted by Senegal after Kigali (Rwanda) in 2024, the event was organized by 33 partners, including the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The event drew nearly 6,000 participants, including policymakers, private sector leaders, farmers’ organizations, civil society, and development partners.
The COMESA-EAC Horticultural Accelerator (CEHA), in collaboration with the East African Community (EAC), held a collaborative and transformative Regional Forum on the Market Information System (MIS) and the Regional Food Balance Sheet (RFBS) in ARUSHA, Tanzania, on 20th and 21 August 2025.
The regional Forum aligns with CEHA’s vision of supporting the development and adoption of a regional MIS platform integrated into the Regional Food Balance Sheet (RFBS), a multi-country framework for tracking production, consumption, trade flows, and food security indicators across the region.
In his official opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture, Tanzania, Mr. Gerald Mweli, noted that the forum was crucial for advancing regional harmonized and integrated MIS and RFBS that inform policy direction, decision making, and strengthening market systems.
“MIS is anticipated to integrate our national systems into the Regional Food Balance Sheet (RFBS), providing real-time data on production, prices, trade flows, and demand trends. This is not a standalone database; it is the foundation for regional value chain coordination, enabling decision makers to make informed choices in responding to market signals, attracting targeted investments, and strengthening our competitiveness in regional markets”. He stated.
He observed that systemic inefficiencies in data flow, market access, and post-harvest management hinder inclusive growth and intra-regional trade.
“Market intelligence tools like MIS are critical in boosting farmer incomes, stabilizing food supply chains, and enhancing regional food security. This is why the integration of CEHA’s Market Information System (MIS) with the Regional Food Balance Sheet (RFBS) framework is not only timely but essential as the EACs and COMESA’s broader trade and business agenda, leveraging digitalization to deepen regional value chains for sustainable and inclusive growth’’ he remarked.
Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa, Chief Executive Officer, Dr John Mukuka, remarked that MIS is relevant in ensuring the availability of accurate, timely, and standardised market data towards unlocking the trade and investment potential of the Horticulture sector in COMESA and EAC regions.
“Without reliable, timely, and standardised market data, farmers cannot plan production, exporters cannot identify opportunities, and policymakers cannot respond effectively to changing market conditions. Therefore, today’s forum is key in building consensus on governance, data sharing protocols, technical interoperability, and sustainability models.
EAC Acting Director for Productive Sectors, Mr Simon Kiarie, updated that EAC has intensified efforts to enhance the Horticulture Sector by implementing the Fruits and Vegetables strategy and post-harvest Management initiatives aimed at improving farmers’ income.
He remarked that EAC is committed to deepening regional integration through enhanced intra-regional trade and promoting regional horticulture food security systems in the COMESA and EAC regions.
And Green Revolution Regional Program Officer, Food Trade in East and Southern Africa, Solomon Baregu, underscored the need for strategic partnerships and consensus-building that support harmonized, regional MIS for transparency, private sector investment, and policy responsiveness.
The collaborative platform brought together strategic partners, including experts in MIS and RFBS from the Ministries of Agriculture, trade, and the National Bureau of Statistics in the CEHA Target countries of Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Rwanda. Other Partners included COLEAD and GIZ.
The Regional Forum marks a key step towards realising the COMESA and EAC aspiration of boosting farmer incomes, stabilizing food supply chains, and enhancing regional horticulture food security systems in the COMESA and EAC regions.
To support innovative agribusiness projects that contribute to the improvement of farming household incomes and job creation for young people, women, and youth, through the horticultural sector, the COMESA EAC Horticulture Accelerator (CEHA) project has awarded six vibrant agribusiness cooperatives and associations with up to $100,000 in matching grants. Supported by the Gates Foundation, the priority value chains over the short term for the CEHA projects are avocado, onion, and Irish potatoes.
Each grantee from the CEHA target countries of Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Uganda will contribute a matching amount to complement the CEHA grant.
Meet Oluwaseun Joshua Rasheed, Chief Executive Officer of SOUK, a cooperative enterprise based in Rwanda, who shares with us how the CEHA matching grants will contribute to unlocking SOUK’s potential.
The Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA), a specialized Agency of COMESA led by its Chief Executive Officer, Dr John Mukuka, had the pleasure of hosting ISAAA AfriCenter, represented by ISAAA Director, Dr Margret Karembu, along with the ISAAA Board Members at the COMESA Secretariat on 25th August 2025. The strategic engagement focused on advancing shared aspirations and objectives of driving sustainable agriculture in the region. Some key highlights of the meeting included;
Together, we are taking bold steps toward advancing biotechnology and biosafety in the region to promote increased global and regional trade in genetically modified agriculture products.