The Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has welcomed Tunisia's offer to host the next ministerial retreat of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers.
The proposal was presented by the Minister of Trade and Export Development, Kalthoum Ben Rejab, during a meeting with AfCFTA Secretary General Wamkele Mene. According to the Ministry of Trade, Tunisia is recognized as a leading country in supporting African economic integration.
Tunisia participated in the second ministerial retreat of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers, held from 29 to 31 May 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya.
This second retreat enabled the development of an executive programme outlining the priorities required to accelerate the operationalization of the AfCFTA in 2023. The programme also set a goal to increase the number of member countries to 29 by October 2023. Tunisia is among the first eight African countries preparing for the launch of the AfCFTA.
The ministerial meeting served as a platform to discuss trade facilitation and transit trade. Participants agreed on the establishment of a committee dedicated to studying trade facilitation issues, accelerating the agreement’s implementation, and evaluating its progress. Furthermore, they decided to create a platform to connect national committees specializing in trade facilitation across the 54 member countries of the agreement.
Discussions also highlighted the role of the African private sector in the implementation and operationalization of the AfCFTA. The focus was on ensuring that businesses benefit from the agreement's provisions and mechanisms for strengthening bilateral trade.
Additionally, participants examined the role that Member State parliaments can play in promoting the agreement’s implementation by monitoring and enforcing legislation related to national trade policies.
To this end, they agreed to organize a Parliamentary Forum in September 2023. The forum will aim to share experiences and best practices in ratifying the Agreement and its Protocols.
Kapitalis