The year 2021, nearing its conclusion, marked the realization of a pivotal project in African economic integration: the official launch of trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on 1 January.
The commencement of trade under the AfCFTA represents significant progress in integrating the economy within one of the largest trading blocs globally, encompassing 1.2 billion consumers, as reported by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), headquartered in Addis Ababa.
This extensive trade zone, established by the Heads of State and Government of the 54 member nations of the African Union (AU), aligns with HM King Mohammed VI's vision for "the emergence of a New Africa: a strong Africa, a bold Africa that takes responsibility for defending its interests, an influential Africa on the global stage."
At the launch of this major project on 21 March 2018 at the Extraordinary Summit of the African Union on the AfCFTA held in the Rwandan capital Kigali, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, stated that ‘Morocco believes in co-development based on intra-African cooperation and economic complementarity, on active solidarity and the pooling of resources and efforts. These are, after all, the conditions inherent in all inclusive growth and in the human and sustainable development of our continent’. ‘Ultimately, the aim is to establish our continent as a dynamic force and a major player on the international stage, for the benefit of our peoples’, the Sovereign emphasised in his speech to the Extraordinary Summit of the African Union in Kigali.
Since the Extraordinary Summit in Kigali, the Kingdom, which places the socio-economic development of Africa and the prosperity of African citizens at the heart of its concerns, has worked tirelessly to see the catalyst of ‘Made in Africa’ and the old dream of the founding fathers of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) become a reality.
The Kingdom has consistently reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the AfCFTA Agreement as a pillar of African economic integration, and reiterated its readiness to contribute to the progress of work leading to the operationalisation of the AfCFTA and the start of trade, which has just materialised on 1 January 2021.
Initially scheduled for July 2020, the official launch of the AfCFTA, which was postponed to January 1, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, marks an important stage in the advancement of African economic integration.
"The operationalisation of the AfCFTA aligns seamlessly with HM King Mohammed VI's vision of an integrated and prosperous Africa," noted Mr. Nasser Bourita, Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Resident Abroad, who represented the King at the 12th AU Extraordinary Summit in July 2019 in Niamey. This summit was dedicated to the launch of the AfCFTA's operational phase.
Mr. Bourita further emphasized that, according to King Mohammed VI's vision, "the creation of the AfCFTA, far from being an end in itself, represents the commencement of a broader collective initiative—an inclusive, supportive, and effective model of co-development serving African citizens."
Moreover, Mr. Bourita highlighted that the success of the AfCFTA hinges on building confidently on the existing Regional Economic Communities (RECs), which the AfCFTA aims to empower with new opportunities and interactions.
Morocco has stressed the importance of regional integration within these RECs as a foundational step toward achieving the continental integration envisioned by the AfCFTA.
By: Driss SABRI. Addis Ababa