ADDIS ABABA – The regional forum, taking place on 24 and 25 June in Dakar, Senegal will focus on issues related to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and its impact on the regions of West and Central Africa, according to the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
The forum, which is jointly organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Senegalese Government, the African Union Commission and the European Union, will be a space for regional and multi-stakeholder dialogue on issues related to the implementation of the AfCFTA in the French-speaking Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
Under the theme “Implementing the AfCFTA: Deepening Africa’s Integration for a Prosperous Continent” stakeholders – policymakers, business, civil society organizations and research institutions – will be invited to make recommendations on the ways and means to implement the AfCFTA. In order to secure inclusive and sustainable change for the economies of the sub-region, particularly in terms of industrialization, economic diversification and job creation.
“This forum aims to foster constructive exchanges to learn from other regional integration frameworks and ultimately assess the extent to which Regional Economic Communities can serve as a foundation for unlocking the trade potential of the AfCFTA in West and Central Africa,” says Adeyinka Adeyemi, ECA Senior Advisor to the African Trade Policy Center (ATPC).
The Ethiopian Herald, June 12/2019
BY STAFF REPORTER
