Cameroon is one of 54 countries which have signed the agreements establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) launched on March 21, 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda. In June 2019, the National Assembly and Senate passed a bill authorizing the President of the Republic to ratify the Agreement, a move hailed by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
By David Luke and Gerald Masila
On 21 August this year, the Seme-Krake border between Nigeria and Benin was closed without prior notice. This was part of a broader crackdown by the Nigerian authorities to close all land borders between Nigeria and it’s neighbouring countries. Today, over two months later, the border remains closed, with vehicles piled up on either side. Border closures are all too familar at Seme-Krake, but this is reportedly the longest closure in about forty years.
Sao Tome/Yaounde, 30 Oct. 2019 (ECA) – The United Nations System has urged the Government of Sao Tome and Principe, a small island state located off the Gulf of Guinea, to “take deliberate action and make the necessary efforts, through an effective and integrated national strategy, to maximize the benefits that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement will bring.”
Moroni, October 21, 2019 – In support of the efforts to ratify the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement and build the capacity of the Comoros to benefit from the opportunities offered by a market of 1.2 billion people, a national sensitization workshop was held on 18 and 19 October in Moroni, Comoros.
Yaoundé/Addis Ababa/ Sao Tomé, 22 Oct.
Lomé, October 20, 2019 - Togo is actively working towards strengthening its institutional mechanisms to ensure a successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), as outlined in its national AfCFTA implementation strategy. The strategy was presented for discussion and validation on 17 and 18 October in Lomé to public and private sector representatives.