Nairobi to Host Regional Meeting Ahead of COMESA Summit
IRSK Conference 2025 will be held on October 1–3. COMESA Summit will be held on October 7–9. It is a once-in-a-while opportunity to blur academic education
The session for the IRSK will be conducted under the theme of Strengthening COMESA's Strategic Position and Resilience in the Evolving Global Order. Photo/ Courtesy
By Juliet Jerotich
Kenya will host two very significant events, which will determine how debate on Africa’s economic future will be framed. There will be a high-level policy and research conference within days prior to the 24th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit in Nairobi.
IRSK Conference 2025 will be held on October 1–3. COMESA Summit will be held on October 7–9. It is a once-in-a-while opportunity to blur academic education with political policymaking.
The session for the IRSK will be conducted under the theme of Strengthening COMESA’s Strategic Position and Resilience in the Evolving Global Order. The organizers project a number of approximately 200 participants from diplomats, business individuals, policymakers, researchers, and civil society organizations from across the entire continent.
The event is well timed. COMESA is celebrating 30 years of existence since its formation in 1994. Over the last 30 years, the bloc has developed into one of the biggest economic communities in Africa. It now has 21 member states, over 600 million people, and a combined GDP of $1.13 trillion — close to a third of the whole of Africa. Trade within the COMESA bloc is now in excess of Ksh. 1.8 trillion.
At the center of the general integration of Africa is COMESA. Twelve of its members, including Kenya, have ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. The bloc is therefore central to AfCFTA implementation. The launch of COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area in July 2024 unified a combined market of 29 countries, further lifting COMESA’s stakes.
Kenya is interested in these trends. Situated in the middle, with better infrastructure and well-developed trade corridors, it is the natural crossing point. Its Port of Mombasa is a lifeline to landlocked countries in the region, and Nairobi has become a center of finance and business. Kenya is also leading digital trade, mobile money, and fintech and therefore follows COMESA’s pace to digital integration.
IRSK forum will focus on urgent matters such as climate change, global supply chain failure, and geopolitical conflict impacts. COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine have awakened us to regional resilience and depen-dency on foreign markets.
Organizers further indicate that discussions will be action-based, aimed at developing strategies and recommending to leaders before the summit. Joint hosts are COMESA, IRSK, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), ACCORD, and Acacia Dialogue Center.
The three-day forum will also cover keynote speeches, policy debates, research talks, and networking. Efforts will be specially made for participation to enable women and youth to contribute to building regional strategies.
We are creating space for old-time leaders and fresh voices,” organizers added. “This mix of perspectives will help us come up with ideas that are innovative as well as pragmatic.”
As Nairobi prepares for the kind of back-to-back summits, Kenya is once again at the helm of Africa’s integration process.
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