CHALLENGES THAT FACE COMESA IN ITS OPERATIONS

Challenges that face COMESA in its operations

1. Membership to other bodies. Members of COMESA are also members of EAC and SADC. This leads to divided loyalty.
2. Personality differences. For example, presidents Museveni of Uganda and El Bashir of Sudan were involved in disagreements in 2004 over rebel activities.
3. Boundary conflicts. This has been witnessed between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
4. Civil wars. Wars have been witnessed in DRC, Uganda, Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi. Such inevitable wars undermine the operations of the common markets.
5. Constant quarrels among member states over trading rights. For example, Kenya and Egypt quarreled over duty-free cement dumped in Kenya by Egypt, on which Kenya wanted to charge duty.
6. Poor transport between member states. This hampers the movement of goods in the region.
7. Pulling out of Tanzania and Namibia. The two founder members have opted for the South African Development Cooperation (SADC). This has undermined COMESA.
8. Some members undermine their neighbors. For example, Uganda and Rwanda have been accused of participating in the civil wars in the DRC.