Malawi: Validated the Approval of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

By Abdul Rahman Bangura–

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Freetown, Sierra Leone- Malawi eventually, has approved the ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) after years of ensuring an agreement to uphold the continent’s heftiest solitary market.

Mayeso Msokera – Ministry of Trade spokesperson ascertained about the approval to accept the consensus pursuing productive conversations with other stakeholders, comprising the private sector. The authorization arrives two months before the AfCFTA is establish for it approval, Malawi had already ratified the deal on March 21st, 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda.

Smokers stated: “Malawi held successful consultations with the private sector through the Ministry of Trade, which led to an endorsement for ratification of the agreement.”

He explained the Ministry of Trade and in collaboration with Ministry of Justice, is currently working on the AfCFTA instruments of ratification to be deposited with the African Union Commission.

“This follows an in-depth study that the Ministry of Trade undertook on the benefits that would arise from signing and ratifying this agreement and a successful extensive stakeholder consultation process, particularly with the private sector because we acknowledge that it is the private sector that will have to take advantage of this free trade area.”

The AfCFTA renders the recourse for Africa to establish the world’s largest free trade area as it has a probable to join 1.3 billion people within a rated $2.5 trillion economic bloc. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Regional Director for Southern Africa – Said Adejumobi said the economic bloc is steadied to develop a continental market for goods and services, with free movement of people and capital and pave the way for creating a Customs Union.

He furthered that, AfCFTA is further anticipated to strengthen competitiveness at the industry and enterprise level through opportunities for scale production, continental market access and better reallocation of resources.

“It will also grow intra-African trade through better harmonization and coordination of trade liberalization across the continent,” he noted.

Nonetheless, a timelier hookup review by ministries of Trade and Finance revealed that government will have to relinquish trade tax revenue once the AfCFTA rolls out the full valve that regulates its actions. Several least advanced nations such as Malawi bank heavily on global trade taxes as a source of revenue to finance day-to-day government operations. As exceptionally, there have been skepticisms that, Malawi and other small economies may be left tussling with the adverse consequences of tariff slices should the AfCFTA rolls out as formulated.

Such questions have navigated to Malawi and other nations thrust for extraordinary and differential remedy in the enactment of the AfCFTA’s requirements on the elimination of import duties and other tariffs.

Trade experts have also recently urged that, the AfCFTA should be supported by high efficient capacity, strengthened regional value chains and, remove internal impediments to the growth of small and medium enterprises so that African governments, including Malawi, can vie well in the liberalization market.

For New Africa Daily News Abdul Rahman Bangura Reports,  Africa Correspondent

www.newafricadailynews.com