West Africa: SADC and Ecowas committed to speeding up the trade agreement

Windhoek – Deputy Prime Minister, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, urged regional economic communities such as SADC and ECOWAS to accelerate ongoing regional efforts for the operationalization of the Continental African Free Trade Area

Nandi-Ndaitwah made the call at the opening of the inaugural Joint Cooperation Commission (CCC) between Namibia and Senegal in Dakar, Senegal yesterday.

Namibia and Senegal are among the 49 African countries that have so far The AFCTFA aims to facilitate a single market for goods and services on the continent.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is also Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, said that Namibia hopes that the ratification of the AfCTFA In addition, with the inauguration of the Joint Commission on Cooperation Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia is not only strengthening, deepening and expanding bilateral relations between Senegal and Namibia, but also taking concrete steps to achieve shared goals and aspirations.

"As small as it is, our bilateral cooperation is a building block of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Economic Community of West African States. (ECOWAS), because in Namibia, we believe that if we want to achieve the aspirations of the 2063 Agenda and African integration, Africa must increasingly trade with it. As a result, she said, at the continental level, "we should do our part to domesticate and vigorously pursue the implementation of Agenda 2063. In this way, we will contribute to efforts to accelerate development. socio-economic, economic development, integration and cohesion of our continent. "

Nandi-Ndaitwah said that the Framework Agreement for General Cooperation between the two countries was signed by their heads of state in 2003 and the Successive State Visits s and reciprocal heads of state in 2013 and 2014, respectively, testify to the importance of bilateral relations and cooperation.

"I hope you agree with me that today we respect the wishes of the highest political authorities. Therefore, she said, the memoranda of understanding must implement what both heads of state agreed to during the state visit to Senegal by President Hifikepunye of the United States. # 39; era. Pohamba in April 2014.