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Mnangagwa leaves for Rwanda

by Staff reporter
19 Mar 2018 at 14:33hrs | Views
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has left Harare for Kigali, Rwanda for an Extraordinary Summit of the African Union which is expected to see the signing of the agreement launching the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The President is accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Retired Lieutenant General Sibusiso Moyo, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo, Industry, Commerce and Enterprise Development Minister Dr Mike Bimha and President of the Chiefs Council Chief Fortune Charumbira.

The Continental Free Trade Area is an African market of over US$1.2 billion people with a gross domestic product of US$2.5 trillion.

The Continental Free Trade Area has the potential to boost intra-African trade by 53 percent by eliminating import duties and non-tariff barriers.

It is one of the flagship projects of the first 10-year implementation plan of Agenda 2063 and aims to deepen the integration process.

It is being driven forward along with other key related initiatives such as the single African air transport market and the protocol on free movement of persons and the African passport.

The leaders of Africa's 55 countries will are expected to attend the extraordinary summit that will make Africa the largest free trade area created since the formation of the World Trade Organisation.

President Mnangagwa was seen off by the two Vice Presidents Retired General Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi, Harare Metropolitan Province Minister Miriam Chikukwa, cabinet ministers, service chiefs and senior government officials.

Source - zbc