Dear Delegate, African countries through their successive leaders have viewed regionalization not only as a means to control internal and external economic shocks but as a deliberate effort to achieve rapid industrialization and modernization of the continent’s economies through expanded trading opportunities, the securing of economies of scale and enhanced market access. While this long held view has inevitably led to the proliferation of several regional trading arrangements (RTAs) not much has been achieved in terms of boosting Africa’s trade and economic growth. In the Eastern and Southern African region increasing attention is turning to the issue of what effect the regional trading arrangements with overlapping memberships has on the formulation of external trade policy and the attainment of the objective of building the African Economic Community (AEC). Regional Economic Communities (RECs) including SADC and COMESA are seen as the essential building blocks for the integration and economic development of the African continent and are the most appropriate political structures providing the most appropriate geographical scale to implement policies aimed at transforming the social, economic and political well-being of the African continent. It is pertinent to observe that COMESA as a separate REC comprises 20 countries offering a market of more than 400 million people, while SADC comprises of 13 countries and a 200 million strong market thereby constituting an important economic space whose rationalization and consolidation has enormous potential to impart credibility to trade policies in the eastern and southern African regions. Through the realization that Africa must play a more active role in the volatile era of globalization, the largest African trade blocs from southern and East Africa are now moving closer to align and harmonize trade rules for increased integration. The Global Trade Matters Roundtable Discussions on Doing Business with Africa will clarify the future of the continent’s economic direction. And highlight the importance of understanding the opportunities African unity can bring upon the people of the continent and how such changes can help your business identify new potential markets for growth and expansion in both trade and investment. Ashraf Mohamed Naguib Managing Director Global Trade Matters