Issues like negotiations on key instruments and more ratification numbers have to be achieved for effective implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement, Rwandan experts told Xinhua recently, as the African Union (AU) Commission set a time frame to activate the AfCFTA agreement on May 30. According to the AU, the remaining work for the AfCFTA is for the AU and African ministers of trade to finalize work on supporting instruments to facilitate the launch of the operational phase of the AfCFTA during an extra-ordinary heads of state and government summit on July 7. These instruments include rules of origin, schedules of tariff concessions on trade in goods, online non-tariff barriers monitoring and elimination mechanism, digital payments and settlement platform and African Trade Observatory Portal. Permanent Secretary of Rwanda's Ministry of Trade and Industry Michel Minega Sebera said the implementation can't be effective before negotiations on some key implementing instruments, including rules of origin and tariff concessions are completed. Despite the fact that the required 22 ratifications for the AfCFTA agreement to enter into force have been reached, the rest of African countries should join for its effective implementation, said Sebera, who is also an expert in international trade and development industry. Nigeria, Africa's largest economy, has so far opted not to ratify the agreement. Over 50 percent of the continent's cumulative GDP are contributed by Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa, while Africa's six sovereign island nations collectively contribute just 1 percent, according to reports. African countries...

African policy makers, Regional Economic Communities, African business leaders and others are set to hold a two-day policy dialogue in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to map out a strategy for successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). The May 27-28 policy dialogue is co-organised by the AU and the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA), a 10-year old development platform for discussions and reflections, for stakeholders to map out a strategy for implementation of trade agreement and therefore lead to the realization of Africa’s aspiration enunciated in Agenda 2063. AGENDA 2063 is Africa’s blueprint and master plan for transforming the continent into the global powerhouse of the future. A concept note on the upcoming policy dialogue indicates that: “The planned policy dialogue will further enhance stakeholder engagement on the implementation of the AfCFTA.” It also aims to: build knowledge and expertise of all stakeholders on priority trade issues of the AfCFTA; improve regular information flow on trade issues to key stakeholders, and suggest a framework for the establishment of AfCFTA national committees; and improve co-ordination among relevant government ministries and agencies including through clear mandates and assigning of responsibilities. Improving the participation opportunities for stakeholders in the work programme of the AfCFTA; and strengthening the culture of dialogue and inclusiveness, are the other specific goals of the policy dialogue. The AfCFTA was first signed by African leaders on March 21, 2018, in Kigali. Among other benefits, experts estimate that the AfCFTA will increase intra-African trade by over 50...

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has launched a partnership with global technology firm mPedigree to improve the agro-inputs protection technology among its members. The partnership, launched under the COMESA Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA) Seed programme, will help the bloc to eliminate faking and counterfeiting of agro-inputs materials like seeds and fertiliser among its member states. This move promises a deeper penetration into the supply chains and access to new ecosystem support for Kenya, where the technology is already in use. “The system will assist the region to not only eliminate cases of fake agro-inputs such as seeds, fertilisers and crop protection products, but also boost trade in quality and improved certified seed,” said Serlom Branttie, mPedigree Global Strategy Director. Fraudulent trade in fake agro-inputs has greatly contributed to the poor performance of over 80 million small-scale farmers and to food insecurity in the region. Source: Media Max

The ambitious African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) which technically enters into force on 30 May could be the game changer for Africa’s hitherto lacklustre economy. Driven by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the process of reaching this point may well have broken all African records. African Union member states launched negotiations to create this huge market of 1.2-billion people with a GDP of over $3.4-trillion in only March last year. Jakkie Cilliers, head of African Futures and Innovation at the Institute for Security Studies, calculates that the AfCFTA, if properly implemented, would boost Africa’s economic growth and reduce extreme poverty more than any other single factor in the long term. In a forthcoming book on Africa’s future, Cilliers reports on the results of forecasts done using the International Futures software on the likely impacts of 11 major transitions: social grants, rejuvenated education, peace, a fourth wave of democracy, improved health, external support, a demographic dividend (a timely bulge in the size of the working-age population), an upsurge in local manufacturing, an African agricultural revolution, leapfrogging outdated technologies – and the AfCFTA. Cilliers found that other drivers such as social grants, agriculture, leapfrogging and manufacturing would make the biggest difference in the short term. But by 2050, the AfCFTA would clearly be exerting the greatest impact on GDP per capita and extreme poverty. For example in lower-middle-income countries it would be boosting annual GDP per capita by over $1 500, compared to the next biggest factor, technology leapfrogging, which would be...

East African exports to the rest of the continent could be boosted by almost $1bn by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). The office for Eastern Africa of the ECA also said the AfCFTA could create between 500,000 and 1.9m jobs. Source: Supply Management

The African continental free trade area (AfCFTA) is among the most momentous of developments in trade. Signed by 52 African states, it is by number of participating countries the largest trade agreement since the formation of the World Trade Organisation. It occurs not just in an international climate of aversion to free trade, notably with stalemate at the WTO and bellicose US trade policy, but also in a climate in which trade agreements just don’t seem possible. Many negotiations have been drawn out and time consuming, often languishing without ever entering into force. These include – but are not limited to – the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, Free Trade Area of the Americas, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, the European Union’s economic partnership agreements, and the tripartite free trade area. The AfCFTA is different. Despite capacity constraints and the diversity of their countries, African negotiators have worked industriously and effectively. This is an important moment for Africa. The AfCFTA consolidates progressively 55 fragmented African countries into a market of 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP of $2.3 trillion, roughly the size of the India. Research at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa forecasts it to have the potential to boost intra-African trade by between 50 per cent-100 per cent, depending on the extent to which non-tariff barriers are also reduced. It has been driven by firm political commitment. The threshold number of country ratifications required for the agreement was reached within one year, a pace of ratifications that...

EAST African Community (EAC) Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Mr Christophe Bazivamo, has said the EAC draft Investment Policy, currently under consideration by the Council of Ministers, envisages a transformed upper middleincome EAC that is a competitive common investment area. The EAC official told participants of an EAC –facilitation, liberalisation and protection of cross-border investment. “Partner states are to streamline and simplify administrative procedures related to investments, promote and maintain dialogue with the private sector and exchange business information,” said Mr Bazivamo. He further disclosed that the EAC had at the regional level, through the Consultative Dialogue Framework, developed an open channel where the private sector, civil society and other interest groups interface with the Secretary General. Mr Bazivamo reaffirmed the Secretariat’s role in advocating for a better and conducive climate investment in the region. “I take this opportunity to thank our partners Afrika Verein and EABC for continued good working relationship and request for further collaboration in supporting the private sector, to achieve the business goals and promote the region as an ideal place to invest and do business,” he added. On his part, East African Business Council (EABC) Executive Director Mr Peter Mathuki was optimistic that if Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) which hindered trade within the EAC Common Market are removed, the domestic demand and market of over 150 million people from the six EAC partner states will attract investments from Germany and all over the world as it will be more economically viable...

African countries have a better chance to benefit from the digital revolution through collaborating as opposed to working as separate entities, Heads of State attending the Transform Africa Summit have said. The summit, which opened in Kigali yesterday, was attended by Presidents Paul Kagame, Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta of Mali. Speaking at the opening of the two-day summit, President Kagame said that collaboration was a sure way to navigate through the complex global dynamics in regards to the digital agenda. He said that it would be wise to steer away from the tendencies that have often divided the continent. “Africa can only protect our peoples’ interests and increase the size of our market, through integration and cooperation,” he said. As a united front, Kagame said that the cooperation could be best exhibited in aspects such as harmonising laws and regulation as well as joint efforts in availing infrastructure resources. “This is especially the case when it comes to harmonising laws and regulations, and ensuring that Africa’s ICT infrastructure is managed in a sensible way,” he said. The emergence of a common African agenda on ICTs, he said, should not be a source of worry to anyone as it benefits both Africa and its partners globally. The President added that with the African Continental Free Trade Area now in force, the continent ought to keep industrialisation and technology agendas in close alignment to make the best of both trends. Kagame also challenged the youth and other stakeholders...

The second Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2020) scheduled to take place in Kigali, Rwanda from Septem1 to 7th 2020 will target the execution of Intra-African trade deals worth more than $40 billion, President of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Prof. Benedict Oramah announced on Wednesday. Prof. Oramah was speaking in Kigali at the signing of the hosting agreement for IATF2020 by the Government of Rwanda, Afreximbank and the African Union. Minister of Trade and Industry of Rwanda, Soraya Hakuziyaremye signed for the Government while Prof. Oramah signed for Afreximbank and Amb. Albert Muchanga, Commissioner for Trade and Industry of the African Union, signed for the organisation during the ceremony held at the Transform Africa Summit taking place in Kigali Oramah said that for IATF2020, which is being organized by Afreximbank in collaboration with the African Union and hosted by Rwanda, the partners had set themselves the ambitious target of attracting more than 1,000 exhibitors and hosting over 10,000 buyers and conference participants from over 50 countries. According to him, the trade fair will build on the tremendous progress made in the first Intra-African Trade Fair held in Cairo in 2018 to achieve more far-reaching results in terms of impact in promoting Intra-African trade. Oramah who noted that “52 countries have signed the AfCFTA and 22 have ratified it, paving the way for the agreement to enter into force”, said that IAATF2020 would include an IATF Trade and Investment Forum which will look at the practical challenges affecting AfCFTA implementation and provide solutions on...

With Africa’s digital economy taking off exponentially, the continent must ready itself to maximize the potential dividends of the Continental Free Trade Area agreement, panel members told a packed auditorium in Kigali at the opening of Transform Africa Summit 2019 on Tuesday. Key to this effort will be connectivity, data and digitization and innovation among others, conference attendees heard. “Africa can achieve a digital single market...It is a journey and we need to break it up into doable bits, “African Development Bank Vice-president, Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization Pierre Guislain, said, adding that the European Union had demonstrated that it could be achieved. Other members of the panel Lacina Kone, Director General / CEO of Smart Africa, the conference organizers, Fatoumata Ba, CEO Janngo, Nic Rudnick, CEO Liquid Telecom Group and Elsie Kanza, Head of Africa, World Economic Forum, shared similar sentiments. This year’s summit which is themed Boosting Africa’s Digital Economy, aims to showcase success stories in the African digital economy and promote homegrown businesses, innovations, solutions and partnerships. In a special intervention from the audience, World Bank Digital Director Dr. Boutheina Guermazi said: “ICT and digital literacy is not a luxury. It is an integral part of how we view development,” adding that the foundations of the digital economy - connectivity, data and voice, would depend on a fully integrated digital infrastructure. With the ratification of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, the possibility of new markets offer tantalizing new avenues for tech start-ups and e-businesses and a combined GDP of...