Ethiopia is ready to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) coupled with implementing the national strategy, the UNECA Regional Integration and Trade Division Director said.
Ethiopia's commitment and actions towards the implementation of the national strategy for AfCFTA and bringing all stakeholders are well recognized and appreciated.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration (MoRTI) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and other stakeholders, Policy Studies Institution (PSI) has organized a consultation Forum on the Development of Ethiopia's National AfCFTA Implementation Strategy yesterday at Skylight Hotel, Addis Ababa.
Speaking to The Ethiopian Herald at the sidelines of the event, Stephen Karingi (PhD), Director of Regional Integration and Trade Division of UNECA, stated that Ethiopia is one of the 22 founding members who ratified AfCFTA, and the country is moving towards its national AfCFTA implementation strategy.
The Director stated, "The efforts of Ethiopia in terms of infrastructure development are appreciated. Ethiopia is ready to take advantage of the AFCFTA in relation to infrastructure, connectivity, productive capacity." Adding, the nation is on the right track in the logistics and services transport component that the Ethiopian airlines offer, the industrialization and trade diversification potential and capabilities through the special economic zones in Hawassa and everywhere.
"All these make Ethiopia ready for this. And when it comes to human capital, a lot of Ethiopians are well-educated, very entrepreneurial. Ethiopia really needs to have started implementing the AFCFTA and taking advantage of this from day one, because it's actually ready."
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The government, as to the director, needs to ensure that this brings on board all the stakeholders. This strategy is going to bring all the voices together. The country is ready to play with the AFCFTA.
"Africa has a lot of experience in terms of implementation of trade agreements. Most countries are members of regional economic communities. Ethiopia is a member state of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. And through these regional economic communities, they have a lot of experience," said the Director.
Regarding the setbacks observed in the implementation, the Director mentioned, "We have this principle of variable geometry, whereby countries that are ready to progress with the implementation of the agreements, they have actually been able to do that, as you have witnessed in COMESSA. These lessons are going to be critical to the implementation of the AFCFTA."
Dealing with the hiccups, as to the Director, Africa should have a strategy as Ethiopia is putting together because through the strategy, all the stakeholders including the government, the civil society, private sector, women and the youth, will be able to disclose their issues. And that creates an environment for smooth implementation of the agreements.
