Ghana International Trade to focus on role of AfCFTA

The 4th Ghana International Trade and Finance Conference (GITFIC) will focus on the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) in boosting intra-regional trade and development of the African continent.

Mr Selassie Koffi Ackom, Chief Executive Officer of the Rescue Shipping and Investment Agency Limited organizers of the conference said AfCFTA was a “game changer” to boost trade and investment on the continent.

He said: “We believe that this couldn’t have happened at any right time and moment in the journey of our dear Continent than this very time. Our Continent was at its peak of Regional Trade Distortion and Disobedience.

“Our Call to Africa in the midst of all these is proper engagement, further deliberations and the removal of gross self and ally interest. The Interest of Africa must be put first. The African Continental Free Trade Area is a must”.

The AfCFTA is a three-day international conference on trade and finance scheduled to take place in Accra from Monday 10th to Wednesday 12th April.

It is expected to bring together players in the trade and finance sectors spanning across agriculture to manufacturing, insurance, construction, importers and exporters, foreign businesses and a host of others from across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas to discuss how to improve international trade.

Mr Ackom stated at a media engagement in Accra to whip-up interest in the AfCFTA which was established as a single market for goods and services across 54 countries, allow the free movement of business travellers and investments, and create a continental customs union to streamline trade - and attract long-term investment.

The agreement is critical for growth and job creation for Africa and its 1.27 billion people.

He said: “We now have leaders of 54 countries putting their neck on the line for this agreement. It’s a game-changer. There’s much more political energy today than there has ever been on integration”.

Mr Mohamed Adjei Sowah, Chief Executive Officer of Accra Metropolitan Authority who hosted the press conference and is collaborating with Rescue Shipping to generate interest in AfCFTA described it as undoubtedly the single most unifying trade agreement ever to be witnessed on the Continent of Africa, adding that, this was a great platform for Accra to harness the benefits of the agreement.

“This exciting news which has been in the public domain for a while now does not only add additional responsibilities on us at the Metropolitan but it also offers us the opportunity to strategically align with equals minds to position ourselves in order to harness the full benefit that this brings to Accra,” he said.

He said by virtue of the fact that the Secretariat was situated here, what it meant was that all policies, business activities, among others would be centered here in Accra.

He said the AMA was partnering the organizers of GITFIC and would unveil a new name tag for Accra which reads “Accra – Commercial Capital of Africa.”

The 4th Ghana International Trade and Finance Conference (GITFIC) will be held April 9-10, 2020, on the theme “Optimizing AfCFTA for Africans; The role of Logistics Infrastructure – AfCFTAEdition.”