Africa-Press – Botswana. The advent of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) provides the right platform for Botswana to leverage regional trade in key sectors such as beef and animal vaccines.
President Advocate Duma Boko said this during Africa Business Forum 2025 held on the margins of the 38th AU summit in Ethiopia that the AfCFTA, was one of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063 dubbed by many as a gamechanger for trade amongst African member states.
“We now have the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement with which we first hope to scale our production and regain our position as producers of the best beef in the continent,” he said, adding that Botswana was therefore keen to increase its beef trade footprint.
He said for Botswana to fully take advantage of the trade agreement, comprising 55 AU member states, which boosts about 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of approximately US$3.4 trillion, there was a need to revive the
Botswana Meat Commission and ensure it had requisite resources so that the envisaged expansion could take place.
President Boko spoke of the need to identify and strengthen channels of collaboration amongst African member states.
Once bolstered African intra-trade would be made easy and swift for member states, he added. The President also said the agreement would help Botswana spread its animal vaccines and even set up branches for the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) across Africa.
Keynote speaker, Mr Samaila Zubairo, president and CEO of the Africa Finance Corporation, echoed the sentiment of unlocking Africa’s vast potential.
He underscored the importance of policy reform to reduce dependency on imports, particularly for food, AfCFTA crucial in driving Africa economy and urged nations to utilise their fertile lands for production.
The need to invest in infrastructure development that could spur employment creation and boost livelihood should be prioritised, he said.
Ethiopia’s president Mr Taye Atske Selassie further supported the discussion, asserting that prioritising food production was essential for sustainable development.
“Over-reliance on external supply is not sustainable,” he said.
Mr Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, reminded attendees of their duty to liberate their populations from poverty, declaring the AfCFTA a crucial strategy for driving economic value in various sectors.
Since its inception in 2018, the Africa Business Forum fostered dialogue among governments, investors, service providers, project promoters, and other stakeholders to further the realisation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development and Agenda 2063.
The African Continental Free Trade Agreement was therefore a viable solution to drive economic value chains in many sectors of the economy.
This year’s forum was held under the theme: From Potential To Prosperity, Activating Africa’s Regional Value Chains.
Source: dailynews
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