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| Speaker's Profile |
| Name: |
Hon. J.E.O. Mwencha |
| Title: |
Secretary General, The Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) |
| Company: |
The Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) |
| Industry: |
Import/Export |
| Profile |
Mr. Erastus J.O. Mwencha is the Secretary-General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). He was appointed in 1998 during the second Summit of the COMESA Heads of State and Government held in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mr. Mwencha is a regional integrationist with over twenty years’ experience on integration. Before his appointment as Secretary-General, he served in an acting capacity in the same position from January 1997.
Mr. Mwencha joined the Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern Africa (PTA), now COMESA, in 1983 as one of the senior officers that were initiatll recruited to launch the PTA. He WAS promoted to the postion of Director for Industry, Energy and Environment in June 1987.
Mr. Mwencha has been closely associated with the growth and development of PTA, now COMESA, and in particular the establishment of COMESA institutions, namely; the COMESA Court of Justice, the PTA Bank the African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI), The Reinsurance Company, the Clearing House, the Leather and Leather Products Institute and the Secretariat. COMESA, which comprises twenty Member States, is one of the leading African regional integration grouping as a building bloc of the African Union. COMESA launched a Free Trade Area (FTA) in 2000. The COMESA programme of activities includes trade, customs and monetary matters; transport and communications; investment and private sector development; peace and security; legal and institutional matters.
Prior to joining the PTA, Mr. Mwencha worked for the Government of Kenya in various capacities. He served as Director of a number of public enterprises. In the civil service, he rose to the position of Head of the Department of Industry. Mr. Mwencha was awarded the “Moran of the Burning Spear” (MBS) by the President of the Republic of Kenya in recognition of his contribution to national and regional development.
Mr. Mwencha is trained as an Economist. He studied at the University of Nairobi, where he graduated with a BA (Hons) in Economics and later did his postgraduate studies at York University in Canada.
Mr. Mwencha in a Kenyan, aged 55 years and married with three children.
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