(NAIROBI) – South Sudan’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon. Atong Kuol Manyang, has travelled to Nairobi, Kenya, to represent President Salva Kiir Mayardit at the 24th Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit of Heads of State and Government.
The three day regional summit is being held from 7 to 9 October 2025 at the Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi. The gathering brings together heads of state, ministers, and business leaders from across the 21-member regional trade bloc to discuss strategies for deepening economic integration, promoting cross-border trade, and supporting industrial growth.
Minister Atong Kuol Manyang’s participation reflects South Sudan’s growing engagement in regional trade cooperation and its interest in advancing market access and investment opportunities. South Sudan joined COMESA in 2018 and has since been working to harmonise its trade and tariff systems with regional standards to attract foreign and regional investors.
The summit is expected to focus on enhancing trade facilitation, digital transformation, and the removal of barriers that hinder movement of goods and services within the bloc. South Sudan’s participation comes at a time when the country is exploring new regional export routes and trade corridors to strengthen its economic resilience and reduce dependency on oil revenues.
Officials from the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Juba said the summit will also offer South Sudan an opportunity to engage with development partners and explore support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), industrialisation, and value addition to local products.
COMESA, established in 1994, is one of Africa’s largest trading blocs, representing a population of more than 600 million people and a combined GDP of over $800 billion.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry said South Sudan remains committed to contributing to the bloc’s objectives and benefiting from regional initiatives aimed at improving infrastructure, trade logistics, and industrial development.