Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir highlighted the importance of accelerating the implementation and activation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as it is an essential axis of increasing intra-African trade rates. 

The minister explained that he discussed with Kenyan Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Rebecca Miano, some of the exceptional restrictions that Kenya recently imposed on its imports from abroad, which affected Egyptian exports.

The meeting came before the conclusion of the third edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair in Cairo, where the Minister held a series of intensive meetings with Jean Chrysostome, Minister of Trade and Industry of Rwanda, and Souleymane Diarrassouba Minister of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire to discuss opportunities for enhancing economic cooperation between Egypt and these countries.

The Minister also met with Wamkele Mene, the first Secretary General of the AfCFTA, and Ambassador Albert M. Muchanga the commissioner for Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission with Pamela Coke-Hamilton executive director of the International Trade Center. 

During his meeting with Jean Chrysostome, Rwandan Minister of Trade and Industry, Samir pointed out the necessity of accelerating the implementation of the AfCFTA and its full entry into force. In addition to demanding that the Rwandan side provides the ministry with a list of the most important exhibitions organized in Rwanda to urge Egyptian companies to participate in them to increase intra-regional trade volume between Egypt and Rwanda.

Samir disclosed that the meeting with the Minister of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire presented the volume of bilateral trade between Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire and the importance of working to increase it in light of the great potential that Côte d’Ivoire enjoys in terms of gross national product and natural resources. 

The Egyptian minister welcomed the study of opportunities to import distinguished Ivorian products, especially since the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture has recently approved Côte d’Ivoire as one of the approved sources for importing cotton.

Source: Daily News Egypt