Wamkele Mene the Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat flew to DRC's capital Kinshasa to meet with President Felix Tshisekedi.
The DRC Presidency said on Tuesday, 'Their discussions essentially revolved around questions relating to the proper functioning of the Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA. As a reminder, this economic structure militates in favour of growth, poverty reduction and the expansion of economic inclusion in Africa.'
African leaders recently met and officially okayed the start of trading for the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)- a wholly-owned African development initiative.
It had been originally scheduled to get operational on 1 July 2020 but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In Previous interviews during the lockdown, Wamkele Mene explained the way forward, and how increased intra-African trade can help lift economies post-COVID-19.
According to Wamkele Mene, the African economy was set to grow at about 3.4 % in 2019 and projected to increase to 3.9% in 2020, but COVID-19 has had a very negative impact.
'We know that over 53% of Africa's exports go to countries, particularly Europe, that are themselves suffering from the pandemic. That has had a subdued effect on our export markets. Our services sector is set to fall by between 20% and 30%, particularly travel and hospitality. We must find ways to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, but the primary focus for now is to save lives.'
Free trade in Africa was expected to boost intra-African trade from 18% to about 50% within a given timeframe- Wamkele explained, 'We have an objective of reaching 50% intra-African trade between now and the year 2030.'
Apart from COVID-19, reaching 50% intra-African trade, and hopefully above that, depends on our capacity to accelerate regional value chains and the manner and pace in which we implement the agreement.
ON fears that the Covid-19 pandemic may trigger protectionism by some African countries, Wamkele argues that AfCFTA makes provisions for countries to take temporary measures to protect or advance public health in times of crisis.
'Our job as the Secretariat will be to ensure that where there are measures in place that have created protectionism, and where they do not meet the necessity for public health, that those measures are removed.'
'So, it will be our job to undertake that monitoring function. This has been the fastest ratified trade agreement in the African Union because countries recognize the importance of an integrated market as opposed to isolationism and autarky,' he said.
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