PANEL | Decisive Decade for Intra-African Trade: Can the AfCFTA Deliver?

The next ten years will test Africa’s resolve. A prosperous Africa means building the transport, industrial and social infrastructure for a projected population of 2.5 billion today. It means intra-African trade must become a reality today. However, five years since the launch of the operational phase of AfCFTA, substantial barriers to doing business across Africa remain in place. While projects such as PAPPS and the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) are breaking these barriers down, African business is calling for accelerated progress on critical enablers of intra-African trade like transport, tariffs and talent. How can CEOs and governments agree on trade policies to protect local industries while increasing participation in global value chains?

Key points:

– Radical integrationist policymaking: How can African policymakers ensure a greater ease of doing intra-African business?

– Given vast divergences across Africa, can bilateral and sub-regional trade facilitation measures be a first step towards effective continental integration?

– Intra-African trade finance: What new guarantees could DFIs bring to overcome payment delays and high costs?


MODERATOR
Ramah NYANG - Journalist, CGTN/Bloomberg

EXPERT
Acha LEKE - Senior Partner, Africa Chairman, and member of the McKinsey Shareholders’ Council, McKinsey & Company, Africa
Kanayo AWANI - Executive Vice President - Intra-African Trade Bank, Afreximbank
Tejaswi AVASARALA - Deputy CEO, Lagos Free Zone (Tolaram)
Nicolas SARTINI - Senior Vice President, Business Development, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company
Mohammad Ali Rashed LOOTAH - President & CEO, Dubai Chambers
Carl LORENZ - Area Managing Director, Eastern Africa Area, Maersk
Serge EKUÉ - President, BOAD