Leaders from across Africa are expected in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, this week for the African Union’s 18th extraordinary sessions of the executive council.
The highlight of the summit will be the launch of Africa’s continental free trade area.
This follows a meeting last week between Africa’s ministers of trade, where they agreed on the protocols on trade in goods and services that will form part of this week’s agreement.
Projections indicate that the continental free trade area will cover a market of 1.2 billion people and a combined GDP of $2.2tn.
For many, this deal will revolutionise the way Africa trades. It’s implementation will be key if this success is to be realized.
This week’s summit will see Africa’s leaders cement a deal that will facilitate the movement of 90 per cent of goods traded within the continent and address Africa’s prevalent non-tariff barriers.
The summit kicked off on Saturday with the meeting of the permanent representatives committee.
The first stage of talks to be held on Monday among the executive council will discuss the legal instruments that will support issues like the harmonization of custom processes.
