By Deborah Olaoluwa
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Sub-regional Offices for Eastern (SRO-EA) and Southern Africa (SRO-SA) today opened a three-day regional workshop bringing together public and private sector players to take stock of the current status of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and enhance their understanding of AfCFTA implementation tools.
The workshop under the theme: ‘Towards an Accelerated Implementation of AfCFTA Agreement in Africa’ is part of the United Nations Development Account project implemented by ECA and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to empower Comoros, Djibouti, Senegal, and Zambia—to move beyond graduation from Least Developed Country status and use the AfCFTA as a catalyst for economic growth.
In her keynote address, Ms. Angelina Chanda Mukuka, Acting Permanent Secretary Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry(MCTI) highlighted that for Zambia, the AfCFTA is a development imperative and the country has prioritised industrialisation as evidenced by projects such as the Zambia-Zimbabwe Common Agro-industrial park and the Zambia-Democratic Republic of Congo joint initiative on the establishment of a value chain in the battery electric vehicle sector.
She stated that, “It is projected that the full implementation of the AfCFTA could lift 30 million Africans out of extreme poverty and boost the continents income by $450 billion by 2035. To make headway the benefits of the AFCFTA will require deliberate policies, strong institutions, private sector participation, inclusion of women, youth and SMEs.”
Ms. Beatrice Mutali, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Zambia also underlined the importance of AfCFTA as a tool for progress in Africa.
She called for, “a shared vision of a prosperous, industrialised Africa where trade is a driver of transformation and economic integration for the continent -connecting 1.3 billion people across 54 countries with a combined Gross Development Product of around US$3.4 trillion.”
ECA was represented by Ms. Eunice G. Kamwendo, SRO-SA Director and Mr. Andrew Mold SRO-EA Director, who both emphasised that the AfCFTA agreement is not only expected to boost trade across the continent but also to serve as an unprecedented catalyst for job creation, sustainable economic growth, and increased investment, among other benefits.
Ms- Kamwendo pointed out that AfCFTA is not only a trade agreement but an instrument that can drive regional value chains, catalyze infrastructure investment, harmonise standards and policies, and enable the freer movement of goods, services, and people across the continent.
She cited some of the SRO-SA work in Mauritius and Zimbabwe with women entrepreneurs from fifteen African countries that the office equipped with practical tools to harness AfCFTA opportunities. Noting that, “Our interventions are meant to go beyond capacity building: they identify export-ready enterprises, help them meet AfCFTA standards, and connect them to continental markets.”
Mr Mold highlighted that, “It’s time for African firms to shift from priming high- income markets under preferential schemes to regional trade under the AfCFTA. This will be the most effective way to help regional economies to become more competitive”.
The regional workshop has brought together approximately 45 to 50 participants, including government representatives of Zambia, Comoros, Djibouti, and Senegal.
Participants also include export-ready entrepreneurs and MSMEs engaged in intra-African trade, with an emphasis on Zambian firms. The Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry represented the Government of Zambia.
Institutions like the Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Zambia Development Agency were also represented as well as technical partners and development agencies such as Afreximbank, and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
