The Minister of Trade and Industry, Souleymane Diarrassouba, represented Côte d'Ivoire at the 7th Meeting of the Council of Ministers in charge of Trade for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on Sunday, 10 October 2021, in Accra, Ghana.
This high-profile meeting brought together representatives from over thirty countries to discuss and finalise the exceptional rules of origin and approve the ministerial directive necessary for operationalising the provisional lists of tariff consultations as outlined in the AfCFTA Agreement.
In his address, Minister Diarrassouba highlighted the importance of adopting rules of origin that would promote the use of African raw materials in the production process, as a step toward advancing industrialisation across Africa and particularly in Côte d'Ivoire.
“Côte d'Ivoire possesses the capacity to produce and process palm seeds and other agricultural products, which could be essential supply sources for numerous African nations,” he stressed.
The meeting concluded with the adoption of the ministerial directive concerning the implementation of the provisional lists of tariff concessions and notable progress in the establishment of rules of origin for edible oils and processed or canned fish products.
The event was attended by trade ministers from more than thirty countries and featured distinguished guests, including former President of Niger and AfCFTA Champion Mahamadou Issoufou, Secretary General of the AfCFTA Wamkele Mene, and President of Afreximbank, Professor Benedict Oramah. The meeting was chaired by South Africa's Minister of Trade and Industry, Ebrahim Patel.