Malawi, Zambia sign COMESA mutual recognition agreement to boost trade in six key commodities

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has announced the signing of a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) for conformity assessment between Malawi and Zambia, marking a major step towards enhancing trade between the two member states.

In a statement issued in Lusaka on Monday, COMESA said the initiative—supported by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)—will facilitate seamless trade in six key commodities: maize, groundnuts, beans, rice, soybean, and sorghum.

The statement indicated that MRA forms part of a broader effort to streamline cross-border trade in Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe through the mutual recognition of conformity assessment procedures.

“The project began with the approval of the commodities to be covered and the implementation plan by the inaugural Project Steering Committee meeting held in April 2022 in Kenya,” COMESA said.

Between August and October 2023, National Technical Working Groups (NTWGs) were established in each of the six participating countries to oversee the implementation of the MRAs at the national level. From January to February 2024, national consultations were held to identify potential trading partners and priority commodities.

Following interest from Malawi and Zambia to sign the MRA for the targeted commodities, the two countries held a bilateral meeting from May 12–15, 2025, in Chipata, Zambia.

It stated that they agreed to trade in all six commodities and drafted the MRA, which was subsequently cleared by their respective legal authorities for signing on August 11, 2025.

COMESA said the agreement will now move into its implementation phase, which will include stakeholder awareness campaigns—particularly targeting Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) authorities—and capacity building in inspection, sampling, testing, and grading.

Other MRAs in the pipeline include Kenya–Uganda, Malawi–Zimbabwe, and Zambia–Zimbabwe.

COMESA described the Malawi–Zambia MRA as a demonstration of its commitment to advancing regional integration and trade facilitation, adding that the deal is expected to boost trade flows between the two countries, spurring economic growth and development.

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