The Ghana International Trade & Finance Conference (GITFiC) has expressed gratitude to the President of the Africa Export-Import Bank (AfreximBank), Professor Benedict Oramah, for writing the foreword of the much-anticipated book on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement titled ‘Actualising the African Economic Vision; A Practical Handbook on the AfCFTA’.
According to GITFiC, the foreword comes as “timely” and “precise” especially when the bank is preparing a loan of $750 million to help boost Ghana’s economy.
“This endorsement from Africa’s foremost continental trade-finance bank is an affirmation of GITFiC’s authority on the subject matter notwithstanding the earlier endorsement we had from the African Union’s H.E Albert M. Muchanga– Economic Commissioner for Trade, Industry, Tourism and Mining,” GITFiC said in a press release on Saturday, August 27.
The two-paged foreword by Prof Oramah commended GITFiC for the book, recommending it to Africa’s top businesses and businessmen interested in capitalising on the AfCFTA.
“The Handbook is being published at a critical time in Africa’s history when the continent is buffeted by the lingering challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Ukraine crisis,” he wrote.
“These crises foreshadow intense global economic and geopolitical turbulence and shifts in the coming years.
“The crises have also demonstrated the necessity of the AfCFTA as being key, not only as a driver of growth and development for the continent, but also its importance in strengthening Africa’s resilience against external shock.”
Prof Oramah further wrote: “For the AfCFTA to achieve its potential and deliver its intended benefits, it is imperative that it moves from diplomatic rooms and the negotiating tables to the boardrooms, market places and shops of small businesses, where business interactions take place daily on the African continent.
“For this to happen, the agreement, the rules, as well as the opportunities it creates, must be easily accessible and understood by the African citizenry.”
The book is scheduled to be launched on Tuesday, September 20 at the forecourt of the Pacific Alliance embassies namely; Mexico, Chile, Peru and Colombia.
It is expected to be made available at various distribution channels on the continent.
According to GITFiC, every senior high school (SHS) and tertiary institution in Africa is expected to own copies.
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana