Someone once asked me what I know about Angola, and I excitedly started to list all the things I had seen, read and watched on television about this country.

When I was done, she asked me if I had been to Angola and if I know these things to be true.

I said I hadn’t. She then remarked that it was a pity we Africans only know about each other from what we are told.

I grasped the gravity of the issue at hand: That what we hear and see about our trading partners are things that may be far from reality when we visit and trade together.

The visit a fortnight ago by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, a year after that of his predecessor, shows the increasing realisation by African leaders of the need for intra-Africa trade and investment.

While Kenya is a member of the East African Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) and the Tripartite Free Trade Area, Nigeria is a member of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas).

Both the Tripartite and Ecowas regional trading blocs constitute a market opportunity of about 950 million people out of Africa’s population of 1.1 billion.

Source: All Africa

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of TradeMark Africa.