Africa Trade Forum to Discuss on AfCFTA Objectives

Addis Ababa October 31/2018 The Africa Trade Forum 2018, which targeted to look into the challenges and opportunities of the AfCFTA in individual African states, is set to take place on 2-3 November, 2018 in Lagos. The Forum’s purpose is to look into the challenges and opportunities of the AfCFTA in individual African states, and to better understand how AfCFTA can drive economic development and prosperity on the continent for all of Africa’s citizens. The trade forum will also provide a platform to discuss Africa’s participation and ownership of the AfCFTA objectives and examine how intra-regional trade can enable prosperity in Africa. The forum will be hosted by Nigeria’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and co-organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), The Rockefeller Foundation, and the African Union Commission (AUC). The Forum will bring together stakeholders from across the continent, from political and governance spheres, the private sector and entrepreneurs, philanthropies, academia, researchers, and development partners, to discuss the process for realizing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The AfCFTA was signed in March 2018 by 44 African countries and, if ratified, will become one of the world’s largest trading blocs, it was indicated. It is also the biggest trade agreement signed since the World Trade Organization (WTO) was established, bringing together 1.3 billion people with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of more than 2 trillion USD in a single market.