President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead a delegation to the 10th Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) Summit in Rwanda that gets underway later this week.
In a statement on Monday, the Presidency said the Summit that will take place in Kigali on Wednesday will consider and conclude issues related to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Legal instruments and launch the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“South Africa is committed to the establishment of an AfCFTA that will boost intra-Africa trade in accordance with the aspirations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063,” said the Presidency.
The theme of the AU for the year 2018, under which its Summits will be held, is: “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation”.
The AU session is preceded by an Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council from 18-19 March 2018 to consider the AfCFTA legal instruments and launch the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area.
President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Trade and Industry (dti) Rob Davies and his Deputy Bulelani Magwanishe.
Earlier this month, Minister Davies and Deputy Minister Magwanishe attended the African Union Ministers of Trade (AMOT) two-day meeting which resulted in the agreement establishing the AfCFTA being reached.
The AfCFTA, which will also offer an opportunity to create a bigger market and to improve the prospects of the African continent’s ability to attract investment, was among the key issues discussed by Ministers at the meeting.
According to the dti, negotiations of the AfCFTA were launched in Johannesburg, South Africa, in June 2015. - SAnews.gov.za
