Tinaye Agere
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has rallied Zimbabwean businesses to be aggressive and take full advantage of the vast trading opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He was addressing the 10th CEO Africa Roundtable conference in Victoria Falls today, which runs under the theme: “The Future of Africa: Modernise, Reshape and Grow”.
“In line with this year’s theme of modernisation, my Government is committed to significantly improve trade facilitation, reduce clearance times, and enhance the efficiency of cross-border operations along transport corridors, leveraging on Zimbabwe’s strategic geographic location in the Southern African region,” said President Mnangagwa.
“This is part of efforts to grow the volume of intra-Africa trade above the current low level of below 20 percent.
“I, therefore, urge you all to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area, a transformative force representing a vast market with a combined Gross Domestic Product of over US$3 trillion and a population surpassing 1,3 billion people.”
The President said by aligning the development of the North-South Corridor, border post upgrading, modernisation initiatives, and the principles of the African Continental Free Trade Area, a strong foundation for seamless regional integration is laid.
“This integration leads to expanded trade volumes, increased investments, job creation and improved living standards for our people,” he said.
“As captains of industry, I call upon you all to take advantage of the opportunities, which have been availed by the current crop of progressive leaders on the continent through the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“This will enable the development of regional value chains, which will ultimately help African countries diversify their economies and industrialise.
“The onus is upon you to take advantage of competitive and comparative advantages of value chains such as the Cotton-to-Clothing value chain; the leather value chain.” – The Chronicle
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