First AfCFTA grand sales exhibition, confab open in Accra
The maiden Made in Africa and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA ) Grand Sale Exhibition and Conference opened in Accra yesterday with a call on African governments to build on the peace of the continent to facilitate trade and development.
The Chairperson of the Africa Private Sector Summit, Wendell Addy, who made the call said failure to uphold peace and security in the continent would be a threat to the survival of AfCFTA which was geared towards trading among countries on the continent.
In sustaining peace within the continent, Mr Addy told the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of the event that there was a need for citizens to take another look at the reason for their affiliation to political parties.
He said voting and political party affiliation should not be based on tribe and ethnicity but on principles and what the political party stood for.
“Citizens should join parties because of the principles, character, policies and ideologies of the party and I believe that when we do that the political parties will begin to align themselves with good ideologies which will bring peace and stability,” he said.
Exhibition
The two-day eventorganised by the AfCFTA Policy Network (APN), is on the theme “AfCFTA and Africa’s challenging macroeconomic experience, risks and financing opportunities.”
It is being attended by over 20 exhibitors who are into clothing and textiles, artefacts, footwear, cosmetics, among others.
It also brought together some dignitaries from across the continent to deliberate on challenges with regard to the continental trade and how to find solutions to challenges in the area of trading among the various countries.
Boarder communication
Speaking at the programme, the Chief Executive Officer of Noxie Limited in Nigeria, Dr Ngozi Oyewole, called on stakeholders of the AfCFTA to encourage effective border communication to allow easy flow of trade.
She also stressed the need for a proper policy to be put in place to eliminate sexual harassment and gender-based violence in the economic.
Opportunities
The South African Ambassador to Ghana, Janet Mason, said the AfCFTA was a catalyst for continent’s development, and charged all countries to embrace it.
She further called on all Africans to use the initiative to encourage and preach what was proudly African and what made the continent unique.
The APN
The APN was established in 2019 as the lead and largest international non-governmental organisation (NGO) focused primarily as a think tank on AfCFTA implementation.