A very busy schedule awaits President Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika on Monday and Tuesday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the 18th Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit.
Among the main activities that awaits President Mutharika this morning is the presentations of his maiden statement to the packed audience of about 5,000 delegates in the main hall of the African Union Headquarters building.
Before presenting his maiden statement, President Mutharika will hold meetings with Dr. Babatunde Osotimehim, who is United Nations Under- Secretary- General and Executive Director of United Nations Population Fund at Sheraton Hotel.
President Mutharika will also hold bilateral meetings with at least three Presidents and a Prime Minister and other delegation leaders.
President Mutharika is expected to hold a bilateral meeting on Monday with President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe in the afternoon from 14:30 to 14:50.
According to a statement from the ministry of foreign affairs and International Cooperation, President Mutharika and Madame Gertrude Mutharika will at 20:00hrs attend a State Banquet to be hosted by the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.
On Tuesday, which is the Official closing ceremony of the Summit, President Mutharika will hold bilateral meeting with His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda from 12:00 to 12:30 hours.
Around 14:05 to 14:20, President Mutharika will also hold bilateral meeting with Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius.
In the afternoon from 14:40 to 15:40 hours, the Malawi President will attend the Ethiopian commodity exchange, where he will meet Chief Executive Officer of the Ethiopian Commodity exchange, Ermias Eshetu.
The theme of this year’s COMESA Summit meeting is “Inclusive and Sustainable Industrialization”.
The summit, which has been opened today ( 30 March, 2015) is expected to discuss peace and security in the sub-region and seek solutions to the challenges as well as address key issues of negotiation on economic partnership agreement with Europe Union (EU).
The summit will also discuss last year’s achievements and progress made by COMESA and look into the implementation status of the various relevant COMESA agreements.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia Hailemarim Desalegn would take over the chairmanship from Prime Minister Joseph Kabila of Congo to serve as chairperson until the next summit.
President Mutharika is expected to return home on Wednesday.
