Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana has ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
“All that we said about AfCFTA and commitments that we have pledged and with this ratification, we are in and we are in business. It is launch time. Our business people better get to work,” said President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi in an interview following the signing ceremony at the weekend’s 36th African Union (AU) summit in Ethiopia.
He said the move symbolised Botswana’s commitment towards the success of the AU flagship project.
Earlier when depositing the AfCFTA instruments, President Masisi said AU had meant everything to Botswana since independence.
“Look to Botswana as an enabler and a genuine member of the organisation,” he said.
Dr Masisi said government would facilitate and enhance businesses in Botswana to make sure that they took advantage of the wider market presented by AfCFTA.
He disclosed that Botswana and Namibia intended to take the integration narrative a step further by launching the use of identity cards at Mamuno Border Gate.
The development would go a long way towards enhancing services, movement of goods and deepening collaboration between the two neighbouring SADC and AU member states, the President said.
For his part, AU Commission chairperson Mr Moussa Faki expressed appreciation for Botswana’s commitment towards AfCFTA’s realisation and Agenda 2063 as a whole.
AfCFTA is geared at realising AU aspirations as outlined in its Agenda 2063, which is a blueprint for attaining inclusive and sustainable development across the continent.
It brings together the 54 AU member states with a market of about 1.4 billion people and a combined Gross Domestic Product of over USD 3.4 million.
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