By: Robert
Kwaku Annor
Somalia has stepped up
preparations to implement the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
Agreement following a visit to Mogadishu by AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele
Mene.
Mene was received by
Somalia’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Ambassador Gamal M Hassan,
following the country’s completion of its domestic approval process for the
AfCFTA Agreement after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud assented to the pact.
The visit comes as Somalia
begins preparations for the next phase of its AfCFTA participation, with
discussions expected to focus on completing the country’s accession process and
putting in place the systems required to facilitate trade under the continental
framework.
Government and business
stakeholders are expected to engage with the AfCFTA Secretariat on tariff and
rules-of-origin procedures, quality standards and sanitary and phytosanitary
systems, customs processes and other trade facilitation measures.
The engagements will also
focus on establishing a clear pathway towards Somalia’s first shipment under
the AfCFTA, marking a key step in translating the country’s membership of the
continental trade framework into practical trading opportunities.
