On Monday 25 July 2022, Accra, the capital of Ghana, hosted the 9th meeting of the Council of Ministers of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which brought together all the member states of the said area. The meeting focused on examining and adopting the recommendations and resolutions of the 11th meeting of the Committee of Senior Trade Officials, but also addressed the issue of launching trade.
Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Vice-President of the African Union Commission, and Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area, attended the meeting of the Council of Ministers of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Participants at the meeting discussed the progress made in implementing the recommendations of the senior officials in charge of trade.
Recommendations relating to trade in goods and services, investment and intellectual property rights. As part of the implementation of the AfCFTA, 54 Member States of the African Union have signed the Agreement establishing the AfCFTA and are in the process of negotiating a number of protocols. These protocols cover trade in goods, services, dispute settlement and negotiations.
Taking part in the meeting, Trade Minister Yves Fernand Manfoumbi, who chairs the Council of Ministers, invited the States to take the necessary measures to ensure the effectiveness of the AfCFTA on the continent. With this in mind, the Ministerial Council issued the necessary political directives to the negotiators to finalise the outstanding issues, in particular the launch of trade within the framework of this area.
Credit: gabonmediatime