President Kibaki yesterday challenged Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) member states to focus on infrastructure development, access to credit and industrialization in order to unleash the potential of micro, small and medium enterprises.

Speaking in Kampala when he addressed the COMESA Heads of State Summit, President Kibaki said such enterprises constitute about 90 percent of African business operations and contribute over 50 percent of employment on the African continent.

President Kibaki noted COMESA and other regional economic bodies have identified infrastructure development as the backbone of accelerating regional integration and development.

"With reference to inland transport networks, small and medium enterprises mainly use road and rail networks to move their products within and across countries," he said.

President Kibaki asked COMESA states to expand, rehabilitate and maintain road and rail networks to boost the movement of goods and people. The President further said that setting up of one-stop border posts would reduce the amount of time spent by traders and the cost of goods and services.

PPS