For the International Trade Centre, Alassane Ouattara's country is a model of successful integration in Africa.
Côte d'Ivoire has been hailed as "a very fine example of regional integration" by Aïssatou Diallo, Senior Regional Portfolio Manager for West Africa and Indian Ocean States at the International Trade Centre (ITC), a branch of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Speaking in Geneva on 1 December 2022, during a training workshop organized by the WTO and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), Diallo highlighted the economic and commercial potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The international trade specialist outlined the steps taken by Côte d'Ivoire to set up the AfCFTA, including the establishment of a national committee (CN-AfCFTA). However, she urged Côte d'Ivoire and other African countries to focus on economic specialization to enhance dynamism in their economies. She further emphasized the importance of creating value chains across Africa, suggesting that Côte d'Ivoire could focus on processing while other countries specialize in production. "Today, we need to set up infrastructures or factories to process the products and transport them to the African market," she advised.
For this expert, on a continental scale, she explained that the free trade area is a major asset for the economic development of the African continent, witith a potential of around 1.3 billion consumers, she pointed out. “The AfCFTA could also bring in a GDP of 3.4 billion dollars if we combine all the GDPs”, Aïssatou Diallo emphasised.
On the opportunities that this vast regional market represents, she also pointed out that it will provide jobs. “It is an opportunity for countries to increase trade in goods and services”, she pointed out.
Aïssatou Diallo, Senior Regional Portfolio Manager, West Africa and Indian Ocean, International Trade Centr (Itc), took the opportunity to encourage African companies to export to African markets, in other words to move towards intra-regional trade.
According to her, the International Trade Centre (Itc), through its ‘One trade Africa’ programme, is achieving concrete results. Particularly with regard to market analysis tools. She points out that the role of this institution is to help businesses, particularly in banking. It provides commercial information and market statistics, using specific tools.
This Agreement will revolutionise Africa
In her presentation, Aïssatou Diallo gave a short historical overview of trade within the free trade area. Eight countries (including Cameroon, Rwanda, Egypt and Ghana) were selected for the pilot phase of the Guided Initiative, launched in Accra (Ghana) on 7 October. The initiative aims to test the operational, institutional, legal and trade policy landscape in the AfCFTA.
She emphasised the measures that the free trade area will launch in 2023. ‘They are important enough to increase intra-African trade. This will remove the barriers that exist and therefore improve the business ecosystem in Africa’, she said.
As for the protocol for women and young people, she said that it would enable them to be better integrated into the trade system on the continental market. ‘This protocol will have specific provisions to encourage access to the African market. Free movement must be effective’, she concluded.
Credit:Fratmatinfo