The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Customs Union is set to come into effect by 2008 regardless of those countries unwilling to join, a Rwandan commercial official said here Friday.

Justin Nsengiyumva, the secretary general in the Rwandan Ministry of Commerce, revealed that it is for the COMESA Customs Union's interest that all member countries register into the Free Trade Area (FTA), but only 11 countries have so far entered.

He mentioned Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda as members of the East African Customs and Zambia as countries willing to join the FTA.

"The customs union was supposed to start operations in 2004 but being postponed to 2008. It is expected to commence as schedule despite how many member countries will have joined," Nsengiyumva said.

A country qualified for the FTA has to reduce tariff rate to zero percent, a request a bulk of COMESA countries yet have not fulfilled.

"Seychelles has been proposing to exclude some of its products like cars, tobacco, and wines while Swaziland is still negotiating with her partners of the South African Customs Union upon the issue of joining the COMESA Customs Union," the official said.

COMESA is the largest economic bloc in Africa which comprises 20 countries with a population of about 385 million people, total gross domestic products of 165 billion U.S. dollars and overall exports of 25 billion dollars.

Source: Xinhua