Internal trading will earn Africa more than $58 billion in development assistance, the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has said.
The Chief of Staff, AfCFTA Secretariat, Silver Ojakol, made this known on behalf of the Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, at the 2023 Regional Integration Issues Forum in Accra, Ghana.
The RIIF is a sensitization mechanism and an interface platform for stakeholders involved in regional integration and continental trade initiatives.
The 2023 RIIF aimed at increasing awareness of the AfCFTA and its benefits for SMEs, as well as to strengthen SMEs’ capacity to engage in intra-African trade.
In a statement, Ojakol explained that large earnings would be initiated if the Small and Medium Enterprises collaborate and embrace the tenets of AfCFTA to overcome trade barriers.
He emphasised the importance of the AfCFTA for SMEs, noting that the agreement is not for big corporations.
“The agreement was designed and framed for the women and young men who on a daily basis face challenges across the continent when crossing neighbouring borders to trade in goods and services.
“If African countries came together and achieved just one percentage increase in trade amongst itself, we would earn 70 billion dollars, which will be higher than the 58 billion dollars given by donors as development assistance,” he noted.
Also, the Executive Director, Centre for Regional Integration in Africa, Prof. Lehlohonolo Tlou, indicated the importance of capacity building and equipping SMEs with the requisite skills and knowledge to break intra-Africa trade barriers and produce what they need.
Tlou emphasised that 60 years after the establishment of the OAU and the African Union, intra-African trade is abysmally low at 16%.
“Africa still produces what it does not consume and consumes what it does not produce.
“The 2023 RIIF conference was convened as part of measures to raise awareness of the benefits of the AfCFTA, build capacity for SMEs to access regional markets; and encourage SMEs to explore partnerships for establishing regional value chains”. (Punch)
