Chronicle Editor
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) is set to roll out capacity building training workshops in some parts of the country to ensure export-ready businesses take advantage of the opportunities provided under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
AfCFTA is an ambitious undertaking that brings together 1,3 billion people in 55 African countries to create the world’s largest free trade area as measured by the number of participating member states. On final conclusion and implementation, its objective is the creation of an integrated market for the trade in goods and services and the free movement of people and capital.
In a post on Twitter, the ZNCC national office said: “Mutare, Gweru and Bulawayo, we are in your area in September and October taking you through all you need to know on the African Continental Free Trade Area…”
ZNCC in conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has rolled out a number of the AfCFTA training workshops held physically and virtually to empower businesses to take up opportunities presented by the trade agreement.
Zimbabwe is one of the champions in embracing the historic AfCFTA agreement, which came into force in January 2021 and sometime last year the country submitted its tariff offer to the secretariat, paving the way for its full participation. The AfCFTA seeks to maximise economic gains through higher intra-regional trade anchored on robust industrialisation along critical value chains.
In a previous interview, ZNCC Matabeleland chapter past vice-president, Mr Louis Herbst called on businesses to retool in order to improve their capacity utilisation enabling them to be competitive in the AfCFTA.
“Retooling, foreign investment, transportation and power to mention just a few must be handled diligently in order to create a level playing field for not only Zimbabwe but all landlocked and sanctioned countries to be able to fully embrace the AfCFTA,” said Mr Herbst.
He said exporting and importing whilst trying to remain competitive becomes a challenge with some of the neighbouring countries, as transportation logistics of inter-Africa trade networks be it road, rail or air must be looked at.
Meanwhile, according to a non-profit capacity-building organisation developing trade-related capacity in East and Southern Africa, Trade Law Centre (Tralac) in their AfCFTA update for August 2023, the implementation of the trade agreement may start soon.
“Expectations about what will happen when implementation starts should be informed by what the State Parties accepted as new commitments, and what they want to retain from existing structures and regional agreements. The agreement is in force but not yet implemented. Some matters must still be finalised,” read part of the update.
Tralac said the AfCFTA could, if properly implemented and accompanied by better trade-related governance, make an important contribution to boost intra-African trade, economic development and trade governance.
It said industrialisation should be a priority in and among the AfCFTA member states, while domestic and regional peace and stability are not to be overlooked when the benefits of trade deals such as the AfCFTA are discussed.
Online Reporter