The COMESA Business Council (CBC) is a business member organization bringing together a diverse group of enterprises, companies, and business associations in the region to inform and influence the policy directions that impact the private sector and the business community at large in COMESA. It is the recognized regional apex body of the private sector and business community in the 21 COMESA Member States. 

As a critical player in the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) implementation, CBC is working with partners to build the capacity of the business community in COMESA while promoting intra-COMESA/intra-Africa trade. Additionally, CBC continues to advocate for a conducive environment in the region and to promote trade opportunities and economic growth.

Over the years, CBC has successfully implemented AfCFTA awareness, webinars, and capacity building in English-speaking Member States. However, in French-speaking Member States there has been limited engagement by the CBC, mainly due to language barriers. This limitation on the engagement with French-speaking countries has impeded effective implementation and equitable access to trade opportunities, hindering the region's full potential for integration and economic growth. 

To address this challenge, CBC requested for assistance from the Europe - Technical Assistance Facility to support the AfCFTA implementation and promote Continental Economic Integration by providing a bilingual Trade Expert (Consultant). Additionally, the technical assistance will enhance language inclusivity and ensure equitable participation in the implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement across both English and French-speaking communities. 

Through the expertise being requested and capacity-building efforts, the private sector in French-speaking COMESA Member States will gain a better understanding of trade dynamics, and opportunities unfolding from the AfCFTA. Empowered with this knowledge, the private sector in all COMESA countries can capitalize on the benefits of the AfCFTA more effectively, further driving economic growth, and promoting regional economic integration.

This initiative reflects a commitment to linguistic diversity and aims to facilitate effective engagement and understanding among stakeholders in the implementation of regional trade agreements. The role of the bilingual Trade Expert is likely to involve bridging language gaps, providing expertise on trade policies, and ensuring that both English and French-speaking communities can actively participate in and benefit from the initiatives related to the AfCFTA Agreement. This approach contributes to fostering a more inclusive and collaborative environment in the implementation of regional trade policies.

In that respect, CBC, with the support of EU-TAF, plans to recruit a trade expert (Consultant), to undertake activities provided under these Terms of Reference (TOR) for six (6) months. The expert will be working as a consultant under the Business Policy Programs Division of the CBC.

The Team Europe Technical Assistance Facility to support the AfCFTA and Continental Economic Integration (TE-TAF) seeks to contribute to the African Economic Integration agenda by mainly realizing the AfCFTA. The TE-TAF is meant to be an efficient, reactive and flexible mechanism to answer to the needs of the African Union (AfCFTA Secretariat, AUC, and some AU Specialized agencies), RECs, AU Member States, and other potential continental partners and regional private sector organizations, working on fostering the AfCFTA and continental economic integration. The TAF is funded by the EU, Agence Française de Development, the German Ministry of Development Cooperation (BMZ), and Sweden and is being implemented by GIZ, Expertise France, and FIAPP under the guidance of the AfCFTA Secretariat