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Oliver Kazunga Senior Business Reporter
THE Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa)-Eastern African Community (EAC)-Sadc tripartite has secured $4,5m grant from the NEPAD – Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility.

Zimbabwe is a member of Comesa and Sadc.

From the facility, $1.7 million will go to Botswana to implement infrastructure projects that would strengthen trade between Comesa and Sadc.

Comesa secretary general Sindiso Ngwenya disclosed this when he received credentials from the Botswana high commissioner to Zambia and special representative to Comesa, Lebonaamang Thanda Mokalake, said Comesa in a statement.

Ngwenya highlighted that Comesa-EAC-Sadc Tripartite Project Preparation and Implementation Unit (PPIU) hosted in the Comesa secretariat recently collaborated with Ministry of Transport and Communications in Botswana for the improvements of two road sections on the North South Corridor that would further strengthen the trade exchange between Tripartite regional economic communities and Botswana.

Works of the project include preparation of the feasibility studies and engineering designs for the 64 kilometre Pandamatenga to Nata road and 111km Palapye to Martin’s Drift road.

Mokalake hailed the bold decision taken by the Comesa-EAC-Sadc to launch the Tripartite Free Trade Area as a milestone in the development of the region.

“Botswana and Zambia host the headquarters of the Sadc and Comesa respectively and therefore have a great responsibility to ensure the tripartite arrangement works”, Mokalake said.

He cited the Kazungula bridge that links Zambia and Botswana whose construction is underway as a key regional infrastructure project that will spur trade between Comesa and Sadc.

Meanwhile, Ngwenya observed that Botswana offered crucial lessons to the region in the management of mineral resources especially diamonds as the anchor to regional development.

“It’s also important to observe that aided by strong macro-economic fundamentals, a rich mineral resource base and a conducive investment climate, Botswana has in the past five years attracted a significant number of institutional investors,” he said.

In 2013, Comesa supported the Botswana government in the development of its national climate change policy, response strategy and action plan with a grant of $120,000.

The draft policy and strategy have been developed and validated by the technical reference group and were to be debated in parliament before submission to cabinet for final approval