Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji says the operationalisation of the AfCFTA is a milestone towards the boosting of intra Africa Trade and promoting economic integration of African States.
Mr. Malanji who is representing President Edgar Lungu at the 12th Extraordinary Summit in Niamey, Niger urged the African Union to come up with a robust adjustment facility that will minimise the economic shocks that will come as a result of duty elimination.
He said the bold decision taken by Africa in opening markets should also be accompanied with the continent’s industrialisation Agenda.
The Minister said Zambia is committed to ensuring that the AfCFTA is beneficial to all Africa Union Participating countries.
Mr. Malanji further congratulated Ghana for the successful bid to host the AfCFTA secretariat.
And Commerce Minister Christopher Yaluma said market openness in Africa presents vast opportunities for technology transfer and creating synergies to spur economic growth and development.
He noted the need for the African Union to ensure that outstanding work on remaining areas that include market access offers, negotiations on Trade in services, competition, investment and intellectual property police is expedited.
And African Union Commission Chairperson Mousa Faki Mahamat expressed happiness at the support by Member states which has seen 54 out of 55 member states sign the AfCFTA
He however cautioned that it will be delusional for the continent to achieve the envisaged benefits from the CFTA in the absence of peace.
This is according to a statement issued to the media by Inutu Mwanza, the First Secretary-Press and Tourism Zambia Embassy, Addis Ababa Ethiopia.
This is putting the cart before the horse. Is the AU telling us that African countries hv reached the stage Europe had reached in 1955? Yesterday’s wars of nation-building are still being fought in Africa and u want a free trade area. Look at nxt door Malawi after last month’s election. Commerce is being disrupted right now and those waiting to be paid by Malawian importers are worried. Grinding poverty in much of West Africa, misrule and poverty in Sudan and Eritrea are driving Africans to make desperate journeys across the Sahara and the Mediterranean through Libya in a doomed attempt to reach Europe. AU’s response is a deafening silence. Who has ever seen African diplomats in Italy from countries concerned speaking to global news channels that bring this tragedy in our living rooms?…
I agree with you Nemwine.
This would have worked with selfless leaders like KK, Nyerere, Kagame, Gadaffi, Nkrumah, Mandela, Sinkala etc. etc. It can never work with Museveni, Mswati, or our very own corrupt drunkard Lungu.
African countries need to get their houses in order before free trade can be fully realised. We do not have rule of law, and our leaders are too corrupt, with our very own Zambia being one of the worst.
Free trade is likely to come with freedom of movement. This would result in majority of west Africans coming to live in southern Africa. They will bring all their bad habits down here. We have enough undesirable habits of our own, we do not want more problems.
Sometimes you wonder on which planet these people live!
You cannot join a free trade area if you have no strong industrial base!
What will happen is that as always zambia will be flooded with imported goods.
This will benefit countries like southafrica. What will zambia export apart from sugar? copper to malawi? We pay a very high price for having dull leaders. These are the same people advocating for free movement of people! Well you better ask south Africas first about Nigerians and Somalis first!
The news channels themselves don’t even bother to seek out these diplomats because they know they’re useless. Good only at attending state banquets.
Is Lungu even going to ratify this agreement?
Market openness- whatever you meant must be promoted initially at national level before you talk of continental integration…you need to help the locals by opening markets for their produce.
I call upon the ministers of agriculture and commerce to look into the plight of Tobacco farmers in Eastern province who upto now have no access to markets where they can sell their tobacco.
We must not worry, be happy or threatened with this signing!!!!!!!!!!!!! because we all know that it will end on paper thats it…………………………. As I am blogging now, it ended on the day of signing no action after that!!!!!!!