Rwanda’s lower house, Chamber of Deputies, on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill approving ratification of the treaty establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The bill also approved ratification of protocol on trade in goods, protocol on trade in services, and protocol on rules and procedures for settlement of disputes which were signed in Kigali, Rwanda, in March 2018.
All the 60 lawmakers approved the bill, which will also go to Senate for approval.
The treaty will come into effect after it is ratified by 22 countries.
The decision to form the AfCFTA was adopted in January 2012 during the 18th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU while AfCFTA negotiations were launched by the AU in 2015.
The AfCFTA is aimed at creating a single continental market for goods and services with free movement of businesses and investments. This, according to the AU, will pave the way for accelerating the establishment of the Continental Customs Union and the African Customs Union.
