International Economics has been awarded a contract to carry out the Mid-Term-Evaluation of the Regional Integration Support Mechanism (RISM) on behalf of the COMESA Secretariat. The objective of the Regional Integration Support Mechanism (RISM) was to support Member Countries in participating fully in the COMESA, EAC and Tripartite FTAs and the COMESA and EAC customs unions with minimum disruption to public expenditure commitments as well as enabling them to implement economic reform programmes in the context of regional integration. During this Mid-term-Evaluation, International Economics’ team of experts provided COMESA and its Member States, the EAC, the EU and other stakeholders with an overall independent assessment on the performance of the programme so far; and key lessons and practical/concrete recommendations for follow-up actions, firstly for the remaining implementation period of the current RISM programme but also for the new RISM Consolidation programme to be funded under the 10th EDF as well as, more broadly, for possible future EU regional cooperation in the ESA-IO region. Eight countries were visited during the course of this assignment, namely Zambia, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Djibouti, Tanzania, Uganda, Seychelles and Mauritius.