Fast-Tracking the Domestication and Operationalisation of the AfCFTA for the AfricanUnion Lusophone Countries
PROGRAM RATIONALE
By bringing together 54 countries with a total of 1.2 billion potential consumers of goods produced and eventually transformed in the Continent, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is expected to accelerate growth and economic development to most African countries, including the Lusophone countries. The combined GDP of the African continent estimated at about US$ 2.5 trillion is expected to increase by 4% under the full implementation of the agreement, whereas the intra-Africa trade will increase by an estimate of 52%. In order to translate the AfCFTA gains into their respective economies beyond the political commitment and full interest in the remaining negotiations, member-states need to build domestic capacity to design and implement their own national strategies. This will be possible upon one condition: a full ownership of the AfCFTA Agreement, on the understanding of the impact on their respective planning and development towards an effective regional integration.
Similarly, to all the African Union member-states, Lusophone countries will continue playing a significant role on regional integration. in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. For instance, São Tomé & Principe and the Cape Verdean archipelago can significantly contribute to the development of blue economy, whereas Angola and Mozambique can significantly contribute to regional integration, in their respective sub-regions, through the development of gas and oil value-chains. In addition, Guinea-Bissau and the Bijagós archipelago can contribute to the development of agricultural value-chains (such as the cashew-nut) and to the development of blue economy.
However, in spite of the aforementioned comparative advantages, the challenges that Lusophone countries face towards the discussion on regional integration and on the AfCFTA is their regional dispersion and a language that is not (pre) dominant in the Continent. Therefore, the African Institute for Development and Economic Planning plans to deliver, from 3 May to 28 May 2021 a tailor-made and a language-made training on the substantial role of the Lusophone countries in the context of regional integration and the AfCFTA.
The main objective of the course is to reinforce an integrated approach between the AfCFTA and the national development plans of the five aforementioned countries, in order to fill the gap of the absence of the Lusophone countries on the discussions over the current macro-economic policies for the Continent. It should be noted that this course will be delivered in the Portuguese language.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The overall goal of this on-line course is to provide the Lusophone AU member countries with an opportunity to collectively appreciate their comparative and competitive advantage in the implementation of the AfCFTA. Specific objectives:
- To provide public officials and technical experts from the Ministries of Planning, Finance and Trade with a full understanding of the impact of the AfCFTA on the economies of the Lusophone countries;
- To enable an exchange experience on domestication of AfCFTA by comparing the tools and instruments available in the different Lusophone Countries, most notably through the respective national development plans, policies and strategies;
- To develop a sense of a group in the African Union to recon within all continental key strategies regarding regional economic integration – AfCFTA.