The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will be addressed at the 33rd Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), officially opening on Sunday at the Congress Palace in Niamey, Niger.
The event will bring together numerous African leaders, including Côte d’Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara, to deliberate on the implementation of the AfCFTA—a landmark initiative aimed at fostering economic integration across the continent. This historic agreement seeks to create a unique market made up of Africa’s 1.2 billion consumers. In doing so, it will help to address the needs of a continent with a rapidly growing population and evolving economic needs.
For many experts, the opening of this common market offers countless advantages, as concerns improving the free movement of people and goods for regional integration. These improvements could ultimately increase inter-African trade by 33% to 60% by 2022, according to the UN.
Understanding the importance of this initiative, several countries have applied to host the institution's headquarters.
This two-day summit in Niamey will also be an opportunity for the African Heads Of State to stress once again the need to involve various stakeholders (governments, private sector, NGOs and other partners) in the implementation of Agenda 2063.
"There is an urgent need to deploy the monitoring and evaluation framework, and to work closely with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to ensure that the fruits of Agenda 2063 bear their promises", said the Chair of the Ministerial Follow-Up Committee on the Implementation of Agenda 2063.
(AIP)