Minister Ramful participates in virtual Extraordinary COMESA Council of Ministers’ meeting

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Dhananjay Ramful, participated the virtual 9th Extraordinary Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Council of Ministers’ meeting, this morning in Port Louis.

The main objective of the meeting was to adopt the new COMESA Medium Term Strategic Plan (MTSP) 2026-2030 and the strategy for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

In his address, Minister Ramful highlighted that Mauritius fully supports the implementation of the new MTSP and remains committed to working closely with all Member States and the COMESA Secretariat to drive forward the regional integration agenda.

He pointed out that the new MTSP comes at a defining moment for the region as the world is facing a high-intensity conflict in the Middle East which is causing severe disruption to global energy supply chains, food security and global connectivity.

The Foreign Affairs Minister underlined that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is already exacerbating the disruption in global chains, thus driving up costs and inflation worldwide. As the impact for Small Island States like Mauritius is immediate and severe, there is a need to focus on strengthening regional cooperation and integration.

Furthermore, Minister Ramful rejoiced that that most of the proposals made by Mauritius have been included in the Plan. The priorities of the Island States in areas such as maritime, air and digital connectivity, climate change, and blue economy will make the Plan more inclusive and representative of the whole COMESA region, he stated.

According to him, the MTSP 2026-2030 provides a clear and practical roadmap for advancing collective aspirations for deeper integration and sustainable development. For our region to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth, we must move beyond the export of raw commodities and invest in value-added production, and by embedding digital technologies in regional value chains, countries of the African continent can move beyond commodity dependence, empower their populations, and secure resilience against global shocks, he added.

02 April 2026

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Topics: Diplomacy, Others, International Trade