President Akufo-Addo will on Monday, 17th August 2020 commission and hand over the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) secretariat building to the African Union Commission (AUC) in Accra.
This was disclosed in a joint statement signed by the Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan Kyeramaten and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.
It will be recalled that Ghana was selected by members states of the African Union (AU) to host the secretariat of AfCFTA at the 12th African Union (AU) extraordinary summit held in Niamey, Niger in July 2019. As part of the obligations and commitments under the Host Country Agreement, Ghana is required to provide a fully furnished office complex as the Headquarters for the AfCFTA secretariat and an official residence for the Secretary-General.
The AfCFTA secretariat is expected to administer the Free Trade Agreement by creating a single market for 55 countries with a combined population of 1.2 billion and a total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about USD 2.5 trillion. 54 countries have so far signed the agreement with 28 countries ratifying same.
The AfCFTA secretariat being hosted in Ghana will make the nation an investment hub in Africa, boost economic activities and provide job opportunities for Ghanaians.
The handing over ceremony will be attended by the Chairperson of the AU commission , the newly elected Secretary-General of the AfCFTA, the Speaker of Parliament, Chairman of Council of State, the Diplomatic Corps and Government officials.
The announcement for the commissioning and handling over of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) secretariat comes as the Presidential Committee on Retail Trade under the Ministry of Trade and Industry embarked on the closure of foreign owned shops at Circle in Accra most of whom were Nigerians amidst tensions on Thursday, August 13,2020.
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Michael Sa-Ambo is a consummate writer who is passionate about development on the African continent. His area of interest is in current affairs, personal development and communication.
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