26 African States to Form Single Market

Twenty six African countries forming three separate trading blocs have agreed at a summit in Kampala to form a single market. Six heads of state and foreign ministers from member countries of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) also resolved to set up a framework for a Free Trade Area within six months. The three blocs have a total population of 527 million people representing 58 percent of Africa’s GDP and more than half of the continent's industrial production.