Accra, 30 September 2022 (TDI): Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is about to launch the AfCFTA Initiative on Guided Trade. The launch is scheduled on the sidelines of the 10th AfCFTA Meeting of the Council of Ministers Responsible for Trade, on 7th October 2022 in Accra, Ghana.
The AfCFTA Secretariat is pleased to announce the launch of the AfCFTA Guided Trade Initiative which is scheduled to kick off on the 7th of October, 2022 on the sidelines of the 10th meeting of Ministers responsible for trade. Mark your calendars and stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/p8wJ6ls7tG
— AfCFTA Secretariat Official (@AfCFTA) September 29, 2022
Heads of State and Government, Ministers Responsible for Trade, the Diplomatic Corps, Leaders of Financial Institutions, Government Officials, Heads of Businesses, and the Media will be part of the occasion.
About Guided Trade Initiative
The AfCFTA Guided Trade Initiative is part of its efforts to initiate commercially meaningful trade under the organization. Under this initiative, selected seven countries will provisionally start trading goods under the organization.
The countries include Rwanda, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, and Tanzania. The organization chose these countries because their tariff offers on goods have been fully approved and officially published.
Moreover, the Guided Trade Initiative will guide these shipments through customs clearance, including reduced tariff treatment under the organization in the receiving AfCFTA countries.
Also read: AfCFTA Conference on Women and Youth in Trade
The overall objective of the launch event is to showcase that the organization is truly operational. African businesses can take advantage of it to trade under liberalized preferences.
The flagging-off ceremony will be a historic step and an instrumental tool in generating meaningful trade on the African continent. The main message being sent to Africa and the rest of the world through the launch event is that it is now possible to trade using the organization’s procedures.
About the AfCFTA
The AfCFTA is the world’s largest free trade area. It brings together the 55 countries of the African Union (AU) and eight (8) Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
The main purpose of the organization is to eliminate trade barriers and boost intra-Africa trade within the African region.
