UNECA publishes AfCFTA implementation strategies synthesis report

The United Nation Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has recently published a report which provides a snapshot of AfCFTA implementation strategies in the continent, with a list of the countries and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) that have adopted them and a description of their core elements, the process by which they were developed, and experiences of some African states in their implementation. The AfCFTA implementation strategies are policy documents that define strategies for expediting the implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement and realize its benefits at national and regional levels. They are based on a decision adopted by the Conference of African Ministers of Finance,…

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Afreximbank’s Fund for Export Development in Africa inaugurates Kigali office with eye on addressing Africa’s $110 billion equity financing shortfall

The African Export – Import Bank (Afreximbank) has officially unveiled its Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA) office in Kigali, Rwanda. FEDA was established to tackle Africa’s US$110 billion financing gap for intra-African trade, value-added export development, and industrialisation value chains, with Rwanda being the first among fifteen African nations to ratify its establishment agreement. The event was graced by the Right Honourable Dr. Edouard Ngirente, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda who was accompanied by the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank,…

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Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) Expands into North Africa as Banque Centrale de Tunisie Becomes Thirteenth Member

The Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) is proud to announce the entry of Banque Centrale de Tunisie (BCT) into its network as its thirteenth Central Bank member, further strengthening its commitment to promoting seamless cross-border payment services and enhancing financial integration across the African continent.   PAPSS, developed by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with the African Union and the AfCFTA Secretariat, facilitates real-time settlement of intra-African trade and payments, in African currencies, across the continent. By uniting central banks from across Africa, PAPSS seeks to address…

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South Africa to launch the start of its preferential trade under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) in Durban on Wednesday 31 January

Trade under the new preferences set out in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) will be launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition of South Africa, Ebrahim Patel on Wednesday 31 January 2024 at Pier 1 in Durban. This follows the publication on Friday 26 January in the Government Gazette of the terms under which South Africa will participate in the new free trade agreement. Twelve countries, including South Africa, have finalised their legal modalities to enable trade to commence in thousands of…

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