PREAMBLE WHEREAS under Article 160 of the Treaty Establishing the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (hereinafter referred to as “the Treaty”), COMESA Member States undertook to increase awareness of their investment incentives, opportunities, legislation, practices, major events affecting investments and other relevant information through regular dissemination and other awarenesspromoting activities; REALISING the need to revise the COMESA Regional Investment Agency Charter that was adopted by the Authority in its Tenth Summit held in Kigali, Rwanda in June 2005; NOW, THEREFORE, Council has decided to adopt this Revised Charter as follows: AND WHEREAS Member States recognise that for COMESA to effectively increase awareness of their investment incentives, opportunities, legislation, practices, major events affecting investments and other relevant information, it is necessary to establish a regional centre for regular dissemination of investment incentives, opportunities, legislation, practices, major events affecting investments and other relevant information; TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the fact that approval for the establishment of the COMESA Regional Investment Agency was granted by the Authority of Heads of State and Government of COMESA in their Fourth Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya in May 1999; COGNIZANT of the fact that at the Eighth Meeting of the Council of Ministers held in Lusaka, Zambia in November, 1999, Council noted the proposal of the Consultative Technical Meeting of Chief Executives of Investment Promotion Agencies to the effect inter alia that the COMESA Regional Investment Agency should not be a fully fledged agency but should start small, initially as an office or unit attached to the COMESA Secretariat, and should be allowed to evolve in due course, initially providing limited services, which could increase over time with a view to becoming self-sustaining through Member States contributions and other income generating activities; NOTING that a Charter establishing the COMESA Regional Investment Agency was adopted at the Tenth Summit of the Authority in June, 2005 in Kigali, Rwanda; 35