By Seun Adams
President Muhammadu Buhari, has concluded arrangement to sign the long awaited African Continental Free Area agreement deals even as he departs Abuja tomorrow (Saturday)
for Niamey, Niger Republic to attend the African Union (AU) Summit, scheduled to hold on July 7.
President Buhari, according to Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement made available to the media on Friday, said the president will participate in the 12th extraordinary session of the Assembly of the Union on African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the first mid-year coordination meeting of the AU and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Niamey.
The extraordinary session of the Assembly of the Union is expected to launch the operational instruments of the agreement establishing AfCFTA.
The instruments include: AfCFTA rules of origin, tariff concession portals, portal on monitoring and elimination of non-tariff barriers, digital payments and clearing systems and African trade and observatory dashboard.
Prior to the Summit, the Buhari Administration had embarked on extensive consultations with stakeholders, culminating in the submission of the report by the Presidential Committee to assess impact and readiness of Nigeria to join the AfCFTA.
The committee had recommended that Nigeria should sign the agreement which aims to boost intra-African trade.
President Buhari will sign the AfCFTA agreement on the margins of the AU meeting in Niamey.
While formally accepting the report on June 27, President Buhari said:
”For AfCFTA to succeed, we must develop policies that promote African production, among other benefits.
”Africa, therefore, needs not only a trade policy but also a continental manufacturing agenda. Our vision for intra-African trade is for the free movement of ‘made in Africa goods.’ That is, goods and services made locally with dominant African content in terms of raw materials and value addition.”
President Buhari will be accompanied by wife Aisha, Governors Babagana Zulum, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and Aminu Bello Masari of Borno, Kebbi and Katsina States, respectively.