The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretariat has intensified its stakeholder outreach efforts with an interactive engagement recently held at the Zambia Defence Staff College in Lusaka.The two-hour session held on 18 March 2026 aimed to enhance awareness and participation in regional integration programmes among defence personnel from across the COMESA region.
The session brought together participants from the Senior Staff Course Number 28 of 2026, comprising military officers drawn from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
During the engagement, the COMESA team delivered a comprehensive presentation on its Peace and Security Programme, outlining key thematic areas such as conflict prevention and management, post-conflict reconstruction, anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism, as well as youth and women empowerment. The presentation also highlighted COMESA’s support to democracy and governance through election observation, Trading for Peace initiatives in border communities, and interventions addressing challenges faced by children in conflict situations.
Commandant of the Zambia Defence Staff College, Brigadier General Maselino Chiluba, commended COMESA for reviving the programme, underscoring its relevance to military training and regional cooperation.
“Ït is important for us to be regularly updated on what is going on in regional integration programmes as we are part of the community and most of the programmes under the Governance, Peace and Security Unit are our areas of interest,” he said."
Brigadier General Maselino Chiluba
Speaking on behalf of the COMESA delegation, Conflict Early Warning Expert Mr Raymond Kitevu praised the participants for their active engagement and thoughtful contributions during the session.
“’We are indeed delighted to have had this interaction which has provided a platform to engage with you our valued security personnel from across the region and beyond. COMESA is your organisation and therefore you must take interest in its programmes,” he said.
Mr Raymond Kitevu
The engagement forms part of COMESA’s broader strategy to strengthen collaboration with key stakeholders, particularly within the security sector, in advancing peace, stability and regional integration.