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• WHAT IS COMESA?
  
• WHAT IS TINET?
  
• WHAT TYPE OF INFORMATION DOES TINET OFFER?
  
• WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM TINET?
  
• HOW CAN TINET BE ACCESSED?
  
• TINET FOCAL POINTS

COMESA is the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and includes the following countries; Angola, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. COMESA aims at promoting  trade, increasing production, improving physical infrastructure and, and in general, achieving market integration. The COMESA Secretariat is based in Lusaka, Zambia.

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TINET is the computerized Trade Information Network of COMESA. It has been specifically designed to provide decision-makers in the business community and the public sector with information on intra-COMESA trade expansion opportunities. TINET has been developed by the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO (ITC), through a technical cooperation programme with the COMESA Secretariat.

The central unit of TINET is based at the COMESA Secretariat. In each COMESA Member State, TINET focal points have been established to coordinate the collection and dissemination of TINET information and activities. TINET can also be accessed through cooperating agencies such as chambers of commerce, manufacturers' associations and other business representative and trade-related organizations.

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TINET provides both electronic and printed information. The computerized databases contain the following:

• Import and export statistics for over 6,000 products traded in the region, over a period of five years by value and by country of origin and destination.
• Contact data for 5,000 importers, exporters and manufacturers by product, country and type of activity.
• Preferential tariff rates applicable for all products traded under COMESA arrangements.
• Country profiles for COMESA Member States with information on trading practices, basic economic indicators, useful addresses, etc.

Published TINET information consists of general and product-specific directories, supply and demand surveys and other trade-related monographs. A monthly bulletin on trade opportunities and tenders, called PEIPLINE, is circulated in the region-wide through the TINET focal points.

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• Enterprises, who wish to
  
  • initiate or expand exports into COMESA
    
  • identify alternate sources of supply, taking advantage of preferential import tariffs
    
  • identify partners for joint ventures and other cooperation arrangements
• Governments ministries and trade promotion organizations, who wish to
  
  • formulate national trade promotion strategies based on supply and demand conditions in COMESA
    
  • develop general and sector-specific trade promotion programmes for intra-COMESA product and market development
    
• Trade service organizations, who wish to
  
  • identify a subregional client base for trade financing, freight forwarding, advertising and other key trade services
• Government procurement agencies, who wish to
  
  • diversify, expand and improve the competitiveness of their resources of supply
• Non-Governmental and inter-Governmental organizations, who wish to
  
  • have immediate access to sources of emergency supply for relief and humanitarian operations in the subregion and beyond

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TINET can be accesses at the national focal point or cooperating agency in your country, as indicated in the list below. The national focal point will also receive your own company and product data to be included in the relevant TINET database. For further information, please contact:

TINET

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