"The AfCFTA, Between Opportunities and Challenges. Are You Ready?" was the theme of a conference held on 9 November by Deloitte Côte d’Ivoire in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The event served as a precursor to a series of training sessions designed to prepare Ivorian businesses for integration into the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The conference brought together participants from both the public and private sectors.
In his opening remarks, Marc Wabi, Regional Partner and Managing Director of Deloitte Côte d’Ivoire, outlined the ambitions of the AfCFTA as detailed in the African Union’s Agenda 2063. He emphasized the goals of providing access to a market of 1.2 billion people, establishing a unified market for African-made goods and services, eliminating 90% of customs duties, and addressing non-tariff barriers such as customs delays.
In the presentation that followed, Ursula Dutauziet, Director of Legal and Tax Affairs, and Jacques Cangah, Head of Human Capital Services, detailed the key characteristics of the AfCFTA, the challenges of its implementation, and the potential impact on African businesses by 2040.
A high-level panel discussion was also part of the event, featuring prominent figures such as Zohou Boli, responsible for e-commerce at the AfCFTA National Committee (AfCFTA-NC) and representative of the Minister of Trade; Jean-Louis Menudier, Vice-President of the General Confederation of Enterprises of Côte d’Ivoire (CGECI); and President of the Union des Grandes Entreprises de Côte d’Ivoire (UGECI).
The panel addressed several critical issues, including competition management, rules of origin that underpin the AfCFTA framework, access to credit for SMEs to enhance competitiveness, and the necessity of human capital development.
This inaugural conference is part of a broader initiative by Deloitte Côte d’Ivoire and the UNDP to provide training that equips Ivorian companies for the effective operationalization of the AfCFTA. These training sessions will cover a wide range of business areas relevant to the AfCFTA's context.
Credit: Abidjan.net L. Barro