Akufo-Addo congratulates Atta Mills on its revolutionary movement in AU

General News of Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2019-07-09

President Akufo-Addo paid tribute to the late President John Evans Atta-Mills, who for the first time introduced the motion to create a Continental Free Trade Area in 2011.

Addressing the Ghanaian community in Paris, France on Monday, July 8, Nana Akufo-Addo praised Mills' vision that Africa would have a common market.

"Every country should have its goals and policies that it follows successfully, leader after leader. When national goals are set, all of us who will occupy the president's seat, we should be obliged to follow him, "said Nana Akufo-Addo.

The Free Trade Area is focused on building the largest free trade bloc in Africa, merging the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), the East African Community (EAC) ) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Some 44 of the 55 AU leaders met in Kigali on March 21, 2018 to sign an agreement to launch the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Forty-four African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government, including Ghana, signed an agreement in Kigali, Rwanda, on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, for the creation of the Continental Free Trade Area. African (AfCFTA).

In addition, 45 members signed the Protocol Establishing the African Economic Community "Free Movement of Persons and Right of Residence", while 43 Member States signed the Kigali Declaration.

Experts say the signing and implementation of the AfCFTA treaty will result in a 52% increase in intra-African trade by 2022, resulting in a substantial improvement in the lives of African peoples . Ghana's president, Akufo-Addo, was in Kigali, Rwanda, to sign for his country.

Importance

President Nana Akufo-Addo has called AfCFTA "one of the most important things that the AU has accomplished", explaining that Ghanaians living in France for some time may understand the The importance of what was accomplished at the 12th Extraordinary Summit of the AU, held in Niamey, capital of Niger, on Sunday, July 7, 2019.

"Some gray beards may perhaps remember, 30 years ago, the beginning of the common market, the situation in France and the current situation … The mbadive impact of the European Union on life there is no doubt. European citizens, in terms of increasing their economic situation, and we believe that the continental African free trade zone will do the same for us, "he explained.

President Akufo-Addo was confident that AfCFTA "will give us the opportunity to actively engage the 1.2 billion people of our continent in the development of our continent. We must find a way to develop our continent ourselves. We can not continue to depend on foreigners to develop our continent for us. "

The president noted that AfCFTA would significantly increase intra-African trade, create millions of jobs for young Africans and help the continent develop its businesses.

According to President Akufo-Addo, the establishment of the AfCFTA Secretariat in Ghana is a great opportunity for the country, especially as Ghana is at the center of Pan-African issues.