The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a guide that will boost intra-African agricultural trade under the new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
The guide was prepared in partnership with African Union Commission’s Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Development (AUC-DARBE).
This is coming on the expectation that increased agricultural trade between African countries could drive sustainable development and play a pivotal role in the transformation of its food systems.
The AfCFTA which began trading on January 1, 2021, is the largest free trade area in the world in terms of the number of countries covered, as it represents a market of 1.2 billion consumers.
The ‘Framework for Boosting Intra-African Trade in Agricultural Commodities and Services,’ is a blueprint for expanding agricultural trade between African countries and aims to unlock the potential of the agricultural sector to contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth for Africa.
In a joint statement from FAO’s Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, Abebe Haile-Gabriel; African Union Commissioner Josefa Sacko, and AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene, the Framework provides a timely catalyst for the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, sustainable development and prosperity in Africa.
“A key priority is the pursuit of industrial transformation policies and programmes that support the private sector to add value to African exports, compete with imports from outside Africa and expand opportunities for job creation,” it added.
