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<p>The African Continental Free Trade Area holds immense potential for the social and economic development of Africa. Joining CNBC Africa to discuss how the project can boost trade and resilience in the continent is Chido Munyati, Acting Head of Africa at the World Economic Forum.</p>


WEF’s Munyati on how to strengthen intra-African trade

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<p>The private sector is a key stakeholder and beneficiary of the African Continental Free Trade Area. But how ready are they to commit fully to trading and investing in the AfCFTA? CNBC Africa spoke to the Chairman of the Rwanda Private Sector Federation, Robert Bapfakurera, for more.</p>


AfCFTA: Assessing the preparedness of Rwanda’s private sector

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<p>The Eastern Africa region is set to generate an estimated $1.8 billion and more than 2 million jobs if the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is successfully implemented. But how is the region ready to stand out in the competitive market? UNECA Director for East Africa Mama Keita spoke to CNBC Africa for more.</p>


AfCFTA: Are East African economies ready to compete?

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<p>Economies all over the world lost trillions of dollars due to COVID-19, with small and medium sized businesses being heavily impacted. However, SMEs are set to be one of the winners, with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Joining CNBC Africa to discuss the landscape for these businesses is Dr. Ebiekure Eradiri, Secretary-General of the All Africa Association for Small &#038; Medium Enterprises joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


How African SMEs can leverage the AfCFTA for growth

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<p>The African Development Bank today hosted the Africa Investment Conference. This brought United Kingdom and African businesses together, to discuss investment and partnership opportunities. This comes at an interesting time, amid the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Joining CNBC Africa for more is Wale Shonibare, Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy &#038; Regulation at the African Development Bank.</p>


UK-Africa Investment Conference seeks to strengthen business ties

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<p>The African Continental Free Trade Area is set to commence in January, a move that aims to revolutionize trade in Africa. Economic Analyst, Ted Kaberuka joins CNBC Africa to discuss Rwanda’s preparedness ahead of the AFCFTA launch.</p>


Reviewing Rwanda’s preparedness ahead of AfCFTA launch

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<p>Kenya and France have signed three bilateral agreements to strengthen economic relations between the two countries and CNBC Africa spoke with Janet Mulu, Trade &#038; Investment Consultant to shine more lights on the agreements and what this means to Kenya.</p>


Unpacking the Kenya-France bilateral deals

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<p>Africa’s largest global trading partner is China; however the vulnerability of global supply chains has intensified with onslaught of the U.S-China trade tensions.</p>


How the U.S-China trade tensions impacts Africa’s free trade agreement

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<p>Ghana launched and handed over the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area to the African Union at a time when the Ghana Union of Traders Association has asked Nigerians in retail trading to close shops in Ghana. Obiora Madu, CEO of Multimix Group joins CNBC Africa to discuss ways to address Africa&#8217;s regional integration challenges.</p>


How to address regional integration challenges in West Africa

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<p>The operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area has been moved to December of this year by Africa’s heads of states due to COVID-19 pandemic.</p>


How Africa’s free trade agreement could be the best stimulus after COVID-19

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<p>With the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area pushed to December of this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been calls to revise the current trade agreements between the continent and major trading partners such as the European Union; former Secretary of UNECA, Carlos Lopes joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Carlos Lopes: Why Africa should revise its trade agreements with the EU

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<p>The African Continental Free Trade Area promises to be of the biggest economic stimuli for trade on the African continent. But like many projects, it has been hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic. The deal, which aims to boost intra-Africa trade, was launched over a year ago. Commerce was due to start this month; however, it will be implemented in January due to delays. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area spoke to CNBC Africa for more&#8230;.</p>


AfCFTA: Wamkele Mene on why the free trade deal is Africa’s COVID-19 stimulus plan

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<p>The operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement was supposed to take place at the beginning of this month but just like many developments it has been set back by the COVID-19 pandemic. CNBC Africa spoke to former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on how AfCTA can get back on track.</p>


Olusegun Obasanjo on COVID-19 lessons for African economies & the AfCFTA


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<p>On the largely virtual Africa Day celebrations, in May, the current African Union Chair&nbsp; South African President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke of “a new Africa”.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As the continent battles a mounting Pandemic crisis is this is simply more empty political rhetoric which tends to get dusted off every Africa Day or will a better Africa emerge from the flames of Covid-19? If so what will this “new Africa” actually look like?&nbsp;</p>



<p>President Ramaphosa believes the Covid-19 pandemic has started to create a unity that Africa aspires to but which has all so often proved elusive:&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Day by day, across our continent, we are seeing the unity that is our strength being put to the service of saving lives and supporting the vulnerable.&#8221;</p>



<p>In webinar after webinar there’s no doubt that many African business and political leaders share President Ramaphosa’s optimism. They sense this pandemic really is a turning point to bring about the change everyone on the continent is so hungry to see.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The Nigerian entrepreneur Tony Elumelu says “the pandemic presents an opportunity to reset Africa, create employment and eliminate poverty”:</p>



<p>“Africa must embrace the new normal. The disruptions we’ve seen across healthcare, logistics, supply chain, and the digital economy are here to stay. This presents a unique opportunity for a united Africa as a strong regional bloc acting in a coordinated fashion”.</p>



<p>He has called for a Marshall plan to galvanise the entire continent and mobilise people and resources to address Africa’s needs. That is also the conclusion of The African Union’s Special Envoy on Covid-19 Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala:</p>



<p>“We can see this pandemic as an opportunity for the continent. We have to specialise our countries to manufacture the things we need so we can trade with others. We need to produce good jobs for our young people and empower our women and youths and put them at the centre”</p>



<p>Several of these themes have also been expressed in many African-related webinars. There is much talk about how this Covid-19 crisis has smashed international supply chains and how the future is now regional. There are many calls for investment to encourage African SMEs to create local supply chains in their communities to boost employment.&nbsp;</p>



<p>While Africa hasn’t yet suffered the ravages of the Pandemic on the scale that has hit countries like the UK and USA, the impact has still been devastating. Economic activity in Sub-Saharan Africa is on course by contract by 2.8% this year, the deepest on record. The collapse in oil prices has hit Africa’s second and third&nbsp; largest economies- Nigeria and Angola- hard, while the collapse of tourism and a drop in demand for agricultural exports to Europe have&nbsp; devastated economies from Kenya and Ethiopia to Cote D’Ivoire, Mauritius and the Seychelles.&nbsp;</p>



<p>South Africa, the continent’s largest and most developed economy, is expected to experience its deepest recession for a century with a 7.1% contraction in output.</p>



<p>Covid-19 cases are now present in every African country. African leaders have come together quickly to help each other fight the pandemic. In contrast to countries like the US and the UK they saw the risk early.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Within days of the first case being reported in Egypt African Union Chair Ramaphosa called a meeting of African Union leaders, and he put his own South Africa into lockdown before a single death had been recorded. Now African Health and Finance Ministers meet every week in virtual conference to co-ordinate their response and share intelligence with the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.</p>



<p>Cameroon has sent planes to the DRC to help that country get medical support its more remote areas, the African Development Bank has denoted $4 million to South Sudan to bolster its fragile health system, while the African Union has launched a medical supplies platform for all 54 African countries. This is designed to make medical supplies, test kits and protective equipment available across the continent.</p>



<p>It feels a much better response than we’ve seen in many countries in the global north and President Ramphosa says he believes this collaboration can form the beginnings of a more united Africa in a post-Covid-19 world.&nbsp;</p>



<p>He’s assembled an all-star team of senior Africa leaders who are already working on plans to implement the lessons of the crisis and rebuild Africa’s damaged economies. Leaders like the former Head of the African Development Bank Donald Kaberuka and the former Nigerian Finance Chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala see economic integration as a long overdue remedy to many of the continent’s economic woes and essential to developing a strong manufacturing base.</p>



<p>One key component of this plan will be the African Continental Free Trade Area which will be launched early next year to create the largest free trade area in the world, worth three trillion dollars with a market of more than a billion people.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The expectation is that this free trade area will encourage African manufacturers to trade with their neighbours, develop industrialisation, and reduce the traditional dependency on goods imported from outside the continent.&nbsp;</p>



<p>SMEs currently account for 90% of all businesses in Africa. Any transformation is going to require support for this sector through investment and training. These SMEs will be given training and financing to deliver solutions for Africa across manufacturing, healthcare, energy, digital innovation, infrastructure, agriculture and other sectors.&nbsp;</p>



<p>There are more than 600 Tech Innovation hubs across Africa. Africa’s digital revolution will emerge from them, especially in the sectors of e-commerce, distance learning for schools and universities to train better educated populations, and big opportunities in renewables and energy infrastructure to start plugging the continent’s electricity deficit.</p>



<p>Agribusiness is also thought to be ripe for investment. With the opportunity to move more and more of African’s millions of farmers from subsistence to commercial enterprises, there’s no reason why Africa can’t become the world’s bread basket.</p>



<p>The Covid-19 crisis has also brought about a realisation that Africa has great opportunities in health care. Africa currently imports most of its ventilators, masks and personal protective equipment for its doctors and nurses. It also imports almost 100% of its drugs and medicines to the tune of $15 billion a year. There are massive opportunities here for African companies to produce many of these materials, create generic drugs and local supply chains.&nbsp;</p>



<p>I’ve seen many more blueprints for the future of Africa in webinar discussions during this long lockdown. What unites them all is a general agreement that when we finally emerge from this pandemic&nbsp; it mustn’t be back to “business as usual.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>Peter Burdin is the former Africa editor for the BBC. </p>


Peter Burdin

COMMENT: What will be the new Africa post COVID-19?

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<p>There have been arguments for a postponement of the July Start of Trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, trade experts on the continent say that the AfCFTA will help African economies recover from the impact of the pandemic and should stay on track. CNBC Africa spoke to Edem Adzogenu, Co-Chair of the Afro-Champions Initiative Executive Committee for more.</p>


COVID-19: How the pandemic is affecting Africa’s free trade plans

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<p>In the headline, as the impact of the coronavirus outbreak continues, manufacturers, producers and importers in Rwanda are seeking alternative sources of raw materials with China’s production and export capacity expected to slow down. In other news – a new report from UN Economic Commission for Africa has indicated that the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area could help the Eastern African countries earn about $1.8 billion and revive the region’s intra trade. Finally, Rwanda proceeds with the preparation of the Commonwealth Forum despite the outbreak of the coronavirus. CNBC Africa is joined by Hudson Kuteesa, Journalist of The New Times for more.</p>


Rwanda cancels concerts

Rwanda cancels concerts, sports tournaments due to coronavirus


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1110" height="349" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/3526_IATF_Februray_CNBC-Africa-Website-Banner_Version1-1110x349.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-360311" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/3526_IATF_Februray_CNBC-Africa-Website-Banner_Version1-1110x349.jpg 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/3526_IATF_Februray_CNBC-Africa-Website-Banner_Version1-300x94.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/3526_IATF_Februray_CNBC-Africa-Website-Banner_Version1-820x258.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/3526_IATF_Februray_CNBC-Africa-Website-Banner_Version1-768x241.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/3526_IATF_Februray_CNBC-Africa-Website-Banner_Version1-1536x483.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/3526_IATF_Februray_CNBC-Africa-Website-Banner_Version1-696x219.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/3526_IATF_Februray_CNBC-Africa-Website-Banner_Version1-1068x335.jpg 1068w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/3526_IATF_Februray_CNBC-Africa-Website-Banner_Version1-1337x420.jpg 1337w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/3526_IATF_Februray_CNBC-Africa-Website-Banner_Version1.jpg 1910w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /></figure>



<p>With seven days of live performances, expert speakers, special cultural highlights and an unprecedented list of exhibitors this year, you will want to delve into everything IATF2020 has to offer. </p>



<p>The biggest trade fair event in Africa, IATF brings together more professionals under one roof than any other event of its kind on the continent. This year, the theme is “Building Bridges for a Successful AfCFTA” focusing on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a market for goods and services across 55 countries, and paving the way for Africa to better achieve its economic and social goals.</p>



<p>Taking
place in Kigali, Rwanda, on 1 to 7 September, over one billion people will
showcase and exhibit their goods and services, while exploring business and
investment opportunities in Africa.</p>



<iframe loading="lazy" width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pWYuaA7LuAE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>



<p>With stakeholders
that include investors, SMEs, and the informal sector, IATF2020 has become the
ideal platform to address the challenges affecting intra-African trade and
provide practical and effective solutions to overcome these challenges.</p>



<p>The
inaugural IATF2018, which took place in Cairo, Egypt, was an enormous success,
garnering US$32 billion in trade and investment deals with more than 1 000
exhibitors and 2 500 conference delegates from over 45 countries.</p>



<p>This
year, IATF2020 will surpass the success of previous years by providing a
platform for businesses to access an integrated market of over 1.2 billion
people with a GDP of over US$2.5 trillion created under the African Continental
Free Trade Area.</p>



<p>IATF2020
does not only serve as a marketplace where buyers and sellers of goods meet,
but also as a business matchmaker, enabling exchanges from business to business
and business to government and political stakeholders.</p>



<p>Additionally,
the IATF2020 Conference will feature leading African and international speakers
who will discuss a variety of topics surrounding African trade and investment
opportunities. There will also be training workshops covering exporting,
standards and marketing.</p>



<p>This
year, visitors and exhibitors will also get to enjoy work from the greatest
creative minds on the continent during the Creative Africa Exchange. The
initiative showcases Africa’s creative economy through music, film, fashion,
and a creative Africa summit.</p>



<p>IATF2020
will host art and craft exhibitions with magnificent pieces that have never
been displayed together before. Visitors will be able to engage with the
artists and craftspeople, and find out how art is leading the way in the
cultural industries.</p>



<p>Traders
who are unable to make it to Rwanda for IATF2020 can still log onto the
IATF2020&nbsp;<a href="https://www.intrafricantradefair.com/en/virtual-trade-fair" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Virtual Trade Fair&nbsp;</a>and
showcase goods, services and investment opportunities on the interactive online
platform. The Virtual Trade Fair connects exhibitors and visitors from all
sectors, and provides a platform for delegates and non-attendees to connect in
real-time during the event and for the rest of the year after the Trade Fair
has concluded.&nbsp;</p>



<p>With
exhibitors from all over Africa and beyond, businesses across the public and
private sectors, and SMEs to multinational corporations, IATF2020 simply cannot
be matched anywhere else.</p>



<p>Make
valuable business connections and accelerate your reach into African markets at
IATF2020. </p>



<p>To
register and get more information, visit the IATF website at <a href="https://www.intrafricantradefair.com/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">intrafricantradefair.com/en</a></p>


African Continental Free Trade Area

WEF’s Munyati on how to strengthen intra-African trade

AfCFTA: Assessing the preparedness of Rwanda’s private sector

AfCFTA: Are East African economies ready to compete?

How African SMEs can leverage the AfCFTA for growth

UK-Africa Investment Conference seeks to strengthen business ties

Reviewing Rwanda’s preparedness ahead of AfCFTA launch

Unpacking the Kenya-France bilateral deals

How the U.S-China trade tensions impacts Africa’s free trade agreement

How to address regional integration challenges in West Africa

How Africa’s free trade agreement could be the best stimulus after COVID-19

Carlos Lopes: Why Africa should revise its trade agreements with the EU

AfCFTA: Wamkele Mene on why the free trade deal is Africa’s COVID-19 stimulus plan

Olusegun Obasanjo on COVID-19 lessons for African economies & the AfCFTA

COMMENT: What will be the new Africa post COVID-19?

COVID-19: How the pandemic is affecting Africa’s free trade plans

Rwanda cancels concerts, sports tournaments due to coronavirus

IATF is the biggest trade fair event in Africa, here’s what it has to offer

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Advertise With Us

African Continental Free Trade Area

WEF’s Munyati on how to strengthen intra-African trade

AfCFTA: Assessing the preparedness of Rwanda’s private sector

AfCFTA: Are East African economies ready to compete?

How African SMEs can leverage the AfCFTA for growth

UK-Africa Investment Conference seeks to strengthen business ties

Reviewing Rwanda’s preparedness ahead of AfCFTA launch

Unpacking the Kenya-France bilateral deals

How the U.S-China trade tensions impacts Africa’s free trade agreement

How to address regional integration challenges in West Africa

How Africa’s free trade agreement could be the best stimulus after COVID-19

Carlos Lopes: Why Africa should revise its trade agreements with the EU

AfCFTA: Wamkele Mene on why the free trade deal is Africa’s COVID-19 stimulus plan

Olusegun Obasanjo on COVID-19 lessons for African economies & the AfCFTA

COMMENT: What will be the new Africa post COVID-19?

COVID-19: How the pandemic is affecting Africa’s free trade plans

Rwanda cancels concerts, sports tournaments due to coronavirus

IATF is the biggest trade fair event in Africa, here’s what it has to offer

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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