Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Mr Wamkele Mene, paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo on Monday 02 October 2023. During the meeting, Minister Ganoo expressed his appreciation for the remarkable progress achieved under the AfCFTA.
He highlighted three key accomplishments, including advancements in the rules of origin for textiles, successful negotiations in Phase II covering investment, competition, and intellectual property rights, and ongoing negotiations for the Protocol on Digital Trade and the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade.
As for Mr Mene, he congratulated Mauritius for hosting the African Partnership Conference held on 02 to 03 October 2023 and praised the nation for actively participating in the AfCFTA negotiations.
He commended the successful outcome of negotiations regarding textiles and clothing origin rules. Mr Mene also proposed a strategic move to promote intra-Africa trade.
He suggested reviewing the agreed tariff liberalisation modalities to accelerate tariff liberalisation for the remaining 10% tariff lines, which currently include sensitive and exclusion lists.
The Secretary General further disclosed that the AfCFTA Secretariat is actively working on identifying potential Ghanaian importers for the list of products Mauritius has expressed interest in exporting to Ghana. These products encompass sugar, tuna, fishmeal, fish oil, and fertilizers.
Highlighting Mauritius’ service-oriented economy, Mr Mene encouraged Mauritius to take the lead in the AfCFTA Guided Trade in Services initiative, which covers five sectors including business, financial services, communication, transport, and tourism.
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