AfriqueEconomieEducationfeaturedsocial

44 African nations sign pact establishing free trade area: AU

 

The African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (CFTA ) could enter into effect by the end of this year following signing by 44 countries yesterday at the 10th extraordinary African Union Summit.

Besides the agreement, which could make Africa the world’s largest free trade zone, 43 nations signed the Kigali Declaration, while 27 countries agreed to ease mobility of people across the continent by signing the protocol on movement of people across Africa.

A total of nineteen presidents were present at the signing while other nations delegated top government officials such as Prime Ministers, Vice Presidents and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of their respective countries.

President Paul Kagame said that the milestone is proof of what is possible when the African states work together.

“Today’s milestone is an indication of how much is possible when we work together. Let’s use the momentum we have gained to push forward with the Agenda 2063 flagship projects that we have committed ourselves to in the first Ten-Year Implementation Plan,” he said.

He said that the development was not the end but the starting of a new phase which, if successfully implemented around can turn the continent’s fortunes.

Following the signatures, African states will have to ratify the agreement in their respective legislatures to put it into effect.

“The task now is to ratify the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, so that they may come into effect as soon as possible,” he said.

When the agreement takes effect, Kagame said, it would have impact on the wellbeing of Africans as well as improve the quality of ties with the rest of the world.

The agreement envisions a continental market of 1.2 billion people, with a combined Gross Domestic Product of more than $3.4 trillion.

The agreement will also boost the level of intra-Africa trade from the current 14 per cent to over 52 per cent by 2022.

15216729331

President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, who spearheaded the CFTA adoption process, was the first leader to sign the agreements in Kigali yesterday. (Courtesy)

President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, who has been spearheading the agreement adoption process, said that the deal presents a historic turning point with better days in sight.

“As we launch the African Continental Free Trade Area, our belief is that Africa is stronger when Africans work together; rather than in a divided and isolated way. This is a strategy that we must pursue vigorously,” Issoufou, who was also the first Head of State to sign the agreement, said.

He noted that it would also make the continent an ideal international investment destination as well as serve to strengthen political, economic and commercial commitments with various international partners

The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, urged African leaders to get on with the consequent steps to its implementation, saying citizens and businesses were eager for a stronger continent.

“Our peoples, our business community and our youth in particular cannot wait any longer to see the lifting of the barriers that divide our continent, hinder its economic takeoff and perpetuate misery, even though Africa is abundantly endowed with wealth,” Mahamat said.

The African private sector seems eager on the agreement’s implementation and has moved to speed up ratification and implementation.

Speaking on behalf of African Business community, Ali Mufuruki, a Tanzanian billionaire and founder of Infotech Investment Group, said that the private sector is pledging $1 million to raise awareness about the agreement and its importance.

15216731351

Chad President Idriss Déby Itno signs the instruments at Kigali Convention Centre yesterday. (Courtesy)
15216732531

President João Lourenço of Angola commits his country during the signing ceremony yesterday. (Courtesy)
15216733811

President Faustin-Archange Touadéra of Central African Republic signs on behalf of his country. (Courtesy)
15216734671

Comoros President Azali Assoumani signs the agreements in Kigali yesterday. (Courtesy)
15216735831

President Denis Sassou Nguesso endorses the instruments at Kigali Convention Centre yesterday. (Courtesy)
15216736871

The President of Djibouti Ismaïl Omar Guelleh signs the agreements in Kigali yesterday. (Village Urugwiro)
15216738111

President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana was among the African leaders who signed the agreements. (Courtesy)
15216739031

President Adama Barrow of the Gambia inks the deal in the Rwandan capital of Kigali yesterday. (Courtesy)
15216740041

President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon signed on behalf of his country at the historic event. (Courtesy)
15216741121

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta is among the leaders who signed all of the three instruments at the AU summit in Kigali yesterday. (Courtesy)
15216742381

Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi was among the leaders that endorsed the deals in Kigali yesterday. (Village Urugwiro)
15216743391

President Brahim Ghali of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic represented his country at the signing ceremony. (Courtesy)
15216744591

President Macky Sall of Senegal also committed his country as leaders took a bold step forward in efforts to create the world’s largest free trade zone. (Village Urugwiro)
15216745881

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa represented his country at the signing ceremony at Kigali Convention Centre yesterday. (Village Urugwiro)
15216747241

Sudan President Omar al-Bashir also joined his counterparts to seal the continental landmark deals. (Courtesy)
15216748651

Mauritania President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz signed on behalf of his country. (Courtesy)
15216749861

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed the landmark deals in Kigali. (Courtesy)
1521671992z

African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat delivers his remarks at the extraordinary Heads of State and Government summit in Kigali yesterday. (Courtesy)
15216752011

President Kagame delivers his remarks at the opening of the African Union summit in Kigali yesterday. (Courtesy)
15216753221

A cross-section of delegates at the summit at Kigali Convention Centre yesterday. Courtesy.
15216754141

A total of 44 countries signed the historic African Continental Free Trade Agreement in Kigali yesterday. (Courtesy)
15216755481

The African Union summit, the second of its kind to take place in Rwanda, was held at the Kigali Convention Centre in Kimihurura. (Courtesy)
15216756531

While up to 19 Heads of State inked the deals in person, more than 20 others delegated senior officials to sign on behalf of their respective countries. (Courtesy)
15216757571

President Kagame is the current Chairperson of the African Union. The Rwandan leader is also spearheading another effort to reform the Union.  (Courtesy)
15216758571

First Lady Jeannette Kagame attended yesterday’s African Union summit in Kigali. (Courtesy)
15216759781

The African Continental Free Trade Area will create a market of a 1.2 billion people. (Courtesy)
15216760701

Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou, who championed the CFTA talks, delivers his remarks at the event yesterday. (Courtesy)
15216761871

Forty-four countries signed the African Continental Free Trade Area, 43 inked the Kigali Declaration, while 27 countries adopted the protocol on free movement of persons. (Courtesy)
15216762931
15216764151

Students from Nyundo Arts School perform at the AU summit yesterday. (Courtesy)
15216702012

Delegates chat during the African Union Extraordinary Summit in Kigali. (Timothy Kisambira)
15216702384

Journalists working at the Media center. (Timothy Kisambira)
15216702193

Heads of States and delegates arrive for the African Union Extra Ordinary Summit in Kigali. (Timothy Kisambira)
152170097926062088607_8c9aa67cd5_k

African leaders at the 10th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union in Kigali on Wednesday. Courtesy.
15216701831

A staff from African Union Secretariat supplies documents to delegates. (Timothy Kisambira)
15216702806

Students of Nyundo Music School sing the African Union Anthem at the summit. (Timothy Kisambira)
TheNewtimes

What's your reaction?

Related Posts

WP Radio
WP Radio
OFFLINE LIVE