African leaders, stakeholders begin discussions on AfCFTA
Heads of state and high-level government representatives from many African countries and beyond, including other stakeholders will converge on the Peduase Presidential Lodge in Aburi in the Eastern Region today to discuss how to ensure the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
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This has become necessary because AfCFTA is significant in unearthing the potential of the people to add value to resources and trade among themselves to move majority of the continent’s 1.4 billion population to prosperity.
The African Prosperity Network (APN), a non-for-profit organisation, in collaboration with the AfCFTA Secretariat, with support from the government of Ghana and other global entities, are organising the meeting dubbed “African Prosperity Dialogues” (APD).
Participation
The three-day event which will end on January 27, 2024, is the second of such programmes to be organised by the APD and partners.
It is also expected to be attended by some heads of state from the Caribbean who have all confirmed their participation.
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will be in attendance. Others are Mohammed Infaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana; Macky Sall of Senegal; Faure Gnassingbé, of Togo; Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, and Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia.
Captains of businesses and institutions on the continent expected to attend include Prof. Benedict Okey Oramah - Afreximbank; Mohamed M. Abou EI Enein - Chairman and Founder, Cleopatra Group; Dr Sidi Ould Tah - Director-General, BADEA; Ahunna Eziakonwa - Assistant Secretary, Regional Bureau for Africa, UNDP; Solomon Quaynor - Vice-President, AfDB, and Brigette Radebe, President, South African Mining Development Association.
Others are Cherif Abdallah - Chairman, CONEX Group of Companies, Liberia; Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Chancellor of University of Cape Town; Ernest Addison - Governor, Bank of Ghana; Marufatu Abiola Bawuah, CEO, UBA Africa; Alex Dadey - Chairman, KGL; Julius Mwale - Principal, Mwale Medical and Technology City (MMTC), and Lacina Koné - CEO, Smart Africa.
The rest are Wale Tinubu - CEO, Oando PIc; Yofi Grant- CEO, GIPC; Serge ERue - President, West African Development Bank; Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah, CEO, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation; Ebenezer Asante SVP, Markets, MTN Group, among others.
Expectations
It is expected that both leaders and industrial players will partner for business networking, engage in one-on-one business matching to promote intra-African trade and also benefit from insights into trading within AfCFTA, among others.
Participants would also have the opportunity to exhibit products and services for business development, have the opportunity to partner the Africa Prosperity Network - a vibrant network of Africa's entrepreneurs, political and business leaders championing the APA, and the chance to participate in one of the biggest African leader's forum devoted to issues of the continent.