Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Xinhua | Zambia has submitted the instruments of ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement to the African Union (AU) Commission. The Southern Africa country deposited its instrument of ratification to the AU Commission through its envoy, making it the 36th AU member to …
Read More »2021 needs to be Africa’s ‘focus on the money’ year
Recent events show that Africa’s dependence on external sources of finance is no longer sustainable. It is time for the continent to develop its own lending institutions | HANNAH RYDER AND OVIGWE EGUEGU | Amid all the distress of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, progress on the African Continental Free …
Read More »African free trade bloc launches
Opportunities, Challenges, and why full implementation of the historic pact may take years ANALYSIS | THE INDEPENDENT | African countries began officially trading under the new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on Jan.01. It is a flagship project of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 to stimulate intra-African trade. In …
Read More »AfCFTA can position African economies stronger against COVID-19
Addis Ababa , Ethiopia | Xinhua | The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement can potentially position African economies stronger in the face of future global shocks such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a senior United Nations trade policy expert said on Wednesday. Speaking exclusively to Xinhua, David Luke, Coordinator …
Read More »Africa officially starts trading under AfCFTA
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Xinhua | The African continent on Friday started trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement. The AfCFTA, which was launched in March 2018 in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, has so far garnered 54 AU member signatories, offering new hope and continental exhilaration in terms …
Read More »New pan-African trade deal could be the “anti-Brexit” and unleash continent’s united economic potential, report finds
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Khisa Isaac | Intra-African trade makes up just 20 per cent of economic activity yet holds key to reducing reliance on imports and boosting food security post-COVID, says Malabo Montpellier Panel. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), due to launch in January 2021, is likely …
Read More »Uganda ranked seventh on 2020 Africa Visa Openness Index
More African travellers able to travel visa-free across continent Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Uganda is ranked seventh on the continent when it comes to allowing in African visitors, according to the 2020 Africa Visa Openness Index. The East African nation is only behind Seychelles, Benin, Gambia, Senegal, Ghana …
Read More »UN urges Africa to develop clear competition rules for AfCFTA to boost trade
Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | The UN on Thursday urged Africa to develop clear competition and consumer protection rules for African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in order to boost trade. Mukhisa Kituyi, secretary general of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) told a trade forum in Nairobi that …
Read More »AU chair urges Africa to prepare to implement AfCFTA
Johannesburg, S.A. | Xinhua | The African Union (AU) chairperson Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday called on the continent’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to prepare to start trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement effective from Jan. 1, 2021. Ramaphosa made the remarks in his closing address at …
Read More »Kenya’s exports to EAC surpass pre-COVID-19 period
Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | Kenya’s exports to countries in East African Community (EAC) have surpassed the pre-COVID-19 period, with the pandemic seemingly catalyzing trade. The exports to Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda recovered from May, sustaining an upward trajectory to August, new economic data from government statistics agency released on …
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