The programme aimed at supporting Trade in Services liberalisation; study the impact of the COMESA rules of origin in industrialisation and the design of an electronic certificate of origin. In addition, the programme developed a framework for a comprehensive support for women and youth cross border traders in the region and an information kit on the COMESA Simplified Trade Regime (STR) and other trade facilitation tools for women and youth cross border traders.

Eight-fold programme outputs: The Support Programme contributed to:

• COMESA Officials have increased their technical knowledge and are better suited to negotiate under the First Round of the 2nd tier of COMESA Regional Trade in Services Liberalisation commitments;
• COMESA Officials are better prepared for the negotiation of the Temporary Movement of Persons (Mode IV) Agreement;
• COMESA Officials are better prepared for the negotiation of the Mutual Recognition Agreement(s);
• An updated baseline study on the COMESA Rules of Origin and their impact on intra-regional trade and industrialisation and recommendations is available;
• An appropriate electronic certificate of origin for the approval of COMESA policy organs prepared/updated;
• Opportunities that COMESA Member States can benefit from their relation with Emerging Economies identified, and strategies for harnessing the benefits from the identified opportunities specified;
• COMESA On-line Trade and Gender training module and planning guidelines developed and installed;
• Comprehensive support framework for women and youth small scale cross border traders developed.

Intervention areas:

• Trade in service negotiations in the three priority sectors: energy, construction and related engineering, and business services;
• Capacity building for Services negotiations of Mode IV Provisions including delineation of coordination and technical backstopping structure;
• Negotiations on Services: Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs);
• COMESA Rules of Origin;
• Electronic certificate of origin;
• Trade and investment opportunities with Emerging Economies and related strategy for COMESA Member States to exploit the identified opportunities;
• COMESA On-line Trade and Gender training module;
• COMESA Gender Planning Tool on Trade that contains checklists and indicators;

Purpose 1: COMESA Member States use their increased knowledge and improved tools to successfully negotiate and implement the 2nd tier of COMESA Regional Trade in Services Liberalisation commitments.

• Study on the Contours for Trade in Services negotiations on Business Services in the COMESA Region undertaken;
• Study on the Contours for Trade in Services negotiations on Energy Sector undertaken;
• Study on the Contours for Trade in Services Negotiations on Construction Sector and related Engineering undertaken;
• Study on Developing of the Temporary Movement of Natural Persons Agreement undertaken;
• Framework for Negotiation of the Mutual Recognition Agreements prepared;
• Questionnaires developed and submitted to COMESA Member States in order to obtain necessary information and data for the four studies above;
• Capacity building Materials prepared and delivered for key representative of all COMESA members states.

Purpose 2: COMESA Rules of Origins are reviewed in light of their impact on intra-COMESA trade and industrialization.

• Baseline study on the COMESA Rules of Origin and their impact on intra-regional trade and industrialisation carried out and related key recommendations outlined;
• Review of the COMESA Rules of Origin with a focus on the introduction of an electronic certificate of origin (eCO) and self-certification carried out and recommendations proposed;
• E-Certificate of Origin (eCO) updated in particular the legal framework for its implementation.

Purpose 3: COMESA and its Member States are better prepared to explore trading and investment opportunities with Emerging Economies.

• Report the trading and investment opportunities with Emerging Economies prepared and submitted to COMESA organs for processing and approval;
• Pre-existing, and new opportunities on trade between COMESA- and Emerging Economies elaborated;
• Strategy for COMESA Member States to Exploit the Identified Opportunities with Emerging Economies designed and submitted to COMESA organs for processing and approval;
• Interviews with member states representatives on modalities for exploiting the Identified Opportunities with Emerging Economies undertaken;
• Implementation Matrix for COMESA to implement the Strategy – Trade and Investment with Emerging Countries—prepared and submitted to the COMESA organs for approval and implementation.

Purpose 4: Trade professionals develop stronger programming skills in the areas of mainstreaming women and youth traders in COMESA's regional trade integration agenda.

• A framework plan for comprehensive support for women and youth cross border traders in COMESA region developed and delivered;
• Reports and info-kit on support to women and youth small scale traders in DRC, Uganda, Rwanda, and EAC prepared and delivered;
• Interviews with local authorities on the good practice cases for the COMESA STR undertaken;
• Information kit on the COMESA Simplified Trade Regime (STR) and other trade facilitation tools for women and youth cross border traders, other publications on the STR prepared and delivered;
• Interviews with women and youth beneficiaries on their understanding of the STR undertaken;
• COMESA Gender mainstreaming guidelines containing checklists and indicators provided;
• The COMESA On-line Trade and Gender training module and planning toll developed.