THE Namibia Trade Forum will launch the awareness campaign for Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), in Windhoek, 18 August 2022.
According to Stacey Pinto’s statement, the chief executive officer of the NTF Lucia Iipumbu is expected to attend the campaign along with Sen Pang, the United Nations resident coordinator.
The NTF is an agency of Ministry of Industrialistion and Trade. Its main purpose is to institutionalise public–private dialogue and cooperation with an emphasis on international and domestic trading and investment policies.
The NTF serves as the principal consultative body representing private sector views to the government.
Pinto says that the AfCFTA represents the first step of Agenda 2063 implementation by the African Union. It aims to create one market for goods and services created through labour migration.
“It is aimed at deepening economic integration of the African continent in accordance with the pan African vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa enshrined in agenda 2063,” Pinto said.
She said that the AfCFTA is a market economy with an estimated 1,2 Billion people across 54 signatory states. It has a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of US$2,5 Trillion.
Namibia has recently launched a national implementation strategy to the AfCFTA. It highlights the need for a public awareness campaign among the business community in order to take advantage of the protocol to ensure Namibia is able receive fair intra-African trade.
“The awareness campaign can be viewed as an enabler that will provide the business community the necessary information to seize the opportunity presented by the AfCFTA,” Pinto said.
John Mutorwa and the minister for agriculture, water reform and land reform Calle Schlettwein will also attend the launch.
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Source: namibian
