The East African Community (EAC) Secretary-General, Peter Mathuki, on Tuesday, September 21, urged the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat to adapt an integration approach that is people-centred, market-driven and private sector-led, to ensure Africans benefit from the continental initiative.

Speaking in Accra, Ghana, during the first coordination meeting of Heads of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) on the implementation of the AfCFTA, Mathuki noted that the continental bloc, with a promising market of around 1.3 billion consumers and a GDP of $3.4 trillion, promises to unlock many opportunities beneficial to African's citizens.

"There is urgent need for citizen sensitization and regular capacity building activities at national and regional levels, to inform African citizens on issues around the continental agreement and how they can benefit from it,” Mathuki said

He said this could be achieved through deepening collaboration between the AfCFTA Secretariat, as well as Secretariats and Business Councils of the RECs.

"Establishing structured dialogue frameworks while engaging the private sector, civil societies and other groups at different levels of policy formulation, will ensure the agreement is embraced and its gains trickle down to Africans,” he added.

The AfCFTA, the largest trade agreement, currently has 54 out of the 55 African countries already as signatories with 41 having ratified it.

"The scorecard of the achievements of AfCFTA will be on increased trade and investment in the region. Africa should thus speak in one voice devoid of political interest, to deepen integration which will ultimately result in economic growth,” Mathuki noted.

He called upon RECs’ business councils to focus on building political goodwill for the implementation and enforcement of AfCFTA. 

"The business councils in various regional economic bloc should prioritize building private sector to private sector consensus so as to speak in one voice and fast track decision making,” he said.

Mathuki also called on the development of a simplified trade regime for the AfCFTA and development of continental standard operating procedures on border agency cooperation.

The Secretary-General of AfCFTA, Wamkele Mene noted that the mandate of the AfCFTA Secretariat is to coordinate implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement, while ensuring close collaboration with all key stakeholders namely the State Parties, the Secretariats of RECs, the business community and strategic partners.

"Regional economic blocs are the building blocks of the AfCFTA and thus we are keen on closely collaborating with all. We are also keen in involving the private sector as it is a very strong pillar and catalyst for industrialization in the continent,” Mene noted.