Official Commissioning and Handing Over of the AfCFTA Secretariat

Sam Smith News 17 August 2020

News

Official Commissioning and Handing Over of the AfCFTA Secretariat

17 Aug 2020Topic NewsAfrican trade and integration

Source: African UnionVisit website

Official Commissioning and Handing Over of the AfCFTA Secretariat — Photo credit: African Union Commission

Statement by Hon Alan Kyerematen, Minister for Trade and Industry, Ghana

The AfCFTA Secretariat Building was officially commissioned and handed over by the African Union to Ghana on Monday, 17th August 2020. Speeches from the ceremony are available to download below.

Background Information

The African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government held their 33rd Ordinary Session from 9-10 February 2020 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. H.E Wamkele Mene, from South Africa, was selected as the first Secretary General (SG) of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and was sworn-in on 19 March 2020, for a four-year mandate. The AfCFTA Secretariat is based in Accra, Ghana.

The Secretary General is expected to provide leadership and technical support to the AfCFTA Secretariat and overall management of the day-to-day management of the AfCFTA Secretariat, implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement and strategic collaboration; stakeholders’ engagement; and resources mobilization for the implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement. The Agenda 2063 flagship initiative the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) refers to a continental geographic zone where goods and services move among member states of the AU with no restrictions.

The AfCFTA aims to boost intra-African trade by providing a comprehensive and mutually beneficial trade agreement among the member states, covering trade in goods, services, investment, intellectual property rights and competition policy. Other continental frameworks include Boosting Intra African Trade (BIAT) which aims to deepen Africa’s market integration and significantly increasing the volume of trade that African countries undertake amongst themselves from the current levels of about 10-13% to 25% or more within the next decade and The Action Plan for the Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa (AIDA), which aims to mobilize both financial and non-financial resources and enhance Africa’s industrial performance.