Africa is importing too excessively and manufacturing too little, and the continent must change course by boosting intra-Africa trade and output. That was the message delivered during a three-day visit to Washington, DC by the head of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Wamkele Meme. After a delay caused in part by pandemic complications, negotiations to finalize protocols are progressing towards completion, he told U.S. officials and think-tank audiences he met during his trip. The African Free Trade Area, creating a single market for 54 countries, will be the largest in the world measured by the number of particpating nations.
Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, answering questions at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC during a session moderated by Dr. Monde Muyangwa, Africa Program Director.
Africa: How Trade Can Reverse the 'Colonial Model', Spur Growth and Reduce Poverty
allAfrica, 20 December 2021
"Africa imports excessively from the rest of the world, manufactures exceedingly too little and hence trades too little," Wamkele Meme, who heads Africa's free-trade agency,… Read more »
Africa: AfCFTA Drives Optimism Among Africa's CEOs Despite Covid-19 Uncertainty
AMA, 18 December 2021
African CEOS expressed optimism about their business and economic growth over the next 12-18 months. A new survey of African CEOs from 46 countries conducted by PAFTRAC, the… Read more »
"The U.S. is committed to rebuilding our relationship with the African continent, " - Ambassador Katherine Tai. the U.S. Trade Representative, meeting with Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.
Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, address the U.S.-Africa Business Center and Corporate Council on Africa in Washington, DC.
With productivity-boosting measures, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement could reduce poverty and inequality while spurring sustainable and inclusive growth, ... Read more »
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