The Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry will attend the 9th African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Council of Ministers of Trade Meeting

The Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry, Honourable Beauty Manake will attend the 9th African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Council of Ministers of Trade Meeting under the theme: ”Steps towards the Start of Commercially Meaningful Trading under the AfCFTA”. The meeting is scheduled from the 25th to 26th July 2022, in Accra, Ghana. The Council of Ministers Meeting will be preceded by the 11th Meeting of the Committee of Senior Trade Officials from the 20th – 23rd July 2022.
The Ministers will provide guidance on outstanding issues regarding Trade in Goods and Trade in Services negotiations. Guidance on Goods will particularly be on the Rules of Origin on sugar; and clothing and textiles, whilst those on Services will be on submitted and outstanding offers in the Business, Communications, Finance, Tourism and Transport Sectors. The Ministers will also discuss and provide guidance on the AfCFTA Automotive Strategy that aims to develop an inclusive African automotive value chains as well as the second phase of negotiations on Competition; Investment; and Intellectual Property.
The commencement of trade within the AfCFTA will pave way for Botswana to access the continental market which comprises of a combined population of nearly 1.2 billion people. This will allow market access for Botswana produced goods and provide an opportunity for Botswana’s services suppliers to expand into the continental market. The private sector will have access to new sources of inputs for domestic production at competitive prices