Contribution of COMESA in the Fight Against Poverty in Zambia through Trade Facilitation

Background: This study was undertaken due to high levels of poverty in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Member States. The study endeavored to explore the Contribution of COMESA in the fight against poverty in Zambia through trade facilitation. The study employed qualitative approach with an exploratory research design and critical case sampling to choose 13 key respondents to explore the contribution of COMESA in the fight against poverty in Zambia through trade facilitation. Primary data was analysed from 13 key respondents selected purposively using an interview guide to support secondary data. Data was analysed using thematic and content analysis. According to the World Bank (2017), trade facilitation contains provisions for expediting the movement, release, clearance of goods, goods in-transit, simplification, standardisation and harmonisation of procedures and associated information flows required to move goods from the seller to the buyer for payment. Zambia implemented COMESA’s simplified trade regime (COMESA-STR) for small cross- border traders. The Simplified Trade Regime (STR) basically aimed to formalise informal cross-border trade (ICBT) by putting in place instruments and mechanisms tailored to the trading requirements of small-scale traders that were decentralised to border areas where informal trade was rampant with the view to facilitate ease of access by small traders. The Simplified Trade Regime (STR) made possible for the small-scale cross-border traders to benefit from the COMESA’s preferential trading arrangement with the reduction of tariffs on selected goods. The concept One Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) was also implemented in Zambia and other related trade facilitation measures to support businesses.