President William Ruto has been appointed as the new Vice Chairman of the Common Market for East and Central Africa (COMESA) regional bloc.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi confirmed President Ruto's appointment on Thursday, October 31, as he congratulated him for his new role.
The Head of State was appointed to the role during the 23rd Summit of COMESA Heads of State and Government in Bujumbura, Burundi.
"I warmly congratulate Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye and President William Ruto on their appointments as Chair and Vice Chair of the COMESA regional bloc at the 23rd COMESA Summit in Kiriri, Bujumbura, Burundi," Mudavadi remarked.
During the summit, President Ruto asked member states of COMESA to ratify the Pan-African Payments and Settlement System to enable and ease trade among the countries.
Read More
The Head of State maintained that the African payment system will save Africa more than USD5 billion annually in payment and foreign exchange transaction costs.
“Instead of our traders chasing currency exchanges, they can be comfortably chasing trade initiatives,” President Ruto remarked.
At the same time, Ruto urged COMESA member countries to embrace reforms at the African Union, stating that the AU must demonstrate seriousness in serving the more than 1.4 billion people in Africa.
“We must reform the AU to make it fit for purpose to serve the 1.4 billion citizens of the continent,” President ruto said.
Additionally, he campaigned for Kenya’s candidate for the post of AU Commission chairperson, Raila Odinga, describing him as the best candidate for the position.
“I want to take this opportunity to ask for your support on the position of the AU Commission chairperson. Mr. Odinga is the best man for the job,” President Ruto remarked.
