BY PHUMZILE NDLOVU
MBABANE – Trading with ease is now possible within Africa.
Eswatini will soon be able to trade with other African Union states thanks to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement as of next Wednesday.
This was announced by Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Trade Manqoba Khumalo today at a press conference held at the ministry.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement came into effect on January 1, 2021, following a signing and ratification process by AU Member States with an overall plan to boost intra African Trade.
The AfCFTA is the largest free trade area in the world and is set to give products access to a market of more than 1 billion people, with a combined GDP of over US$3.4 trillion.
The minister said, “I am happy to announce that Eswatini is set to commence trade under the AfCFTA Agreement on January 31, 2024, following the issuance of a gazette issued by the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) on behalf of the five (5) SACU Member States, including Eswatini.”
The minister shared that a copy of this gazette will be made available on request. This gazette has information pertaining to rules governing the origin of products traded under the agreement. “These rules are agreed to avoid trade diversion, where products from outside the continent are imported into the continent and further sold within the continent as if they were manufactured in the continent, thus displacing African products,” said Khumalo.
It is worth mentioning that the Ministry has already engaged traders to take advantage of this great opportunity to penetrate the African market.
The minister went on to say, “As a tool to enhance trade under the AfCFTA Agreement, Eswatini has since joined other AfCFTA Partner States that are part of the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI). Under this initiative, the AfCFTA Secretariat assists in connecting businesses and products for import and export among the Partner States,” shared the minister.
Currently, Egypt, Kenya, Cameroon, Rwanda, Ghana, Mauritius, Tanzania, and Tunisia are trading under this initiative, and Eswatini is among the countries that are set to join the second phase of the programme.
Eswatini traders have registered their interest in being part of the initiative, and the International Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Trade, in collaboration with the AfCFTA Secretariat, the Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS), and the Eswatini Investment Promotion Authority (EIPA), will be engaging with these traders to assist them with increasing their market in the continent.
The Ministry is also engaged in discussions with key exporting companies, namely The Rhodes Food Group, CONCO, the Eswatini Sugar Association (ESA), and The Fridge Factory, just to name a few. These are some of the companies already exporting on the continent and are looking into expanding their exports to the rest of the continent.
The minister added, “We will be reaching out to more traders, including SMMEs and women- and youth-owned businesses, which are set to benefit from utilising this agreement. The Ministry is ready to support traders in identifying areas where they can utilise their preferences.”
Khumalo shared that the ministry, together with Eswatini Revenue Services (ERS), is currently planning an event to unpack this agreement among other agreements that have been signed by Eswatini to ensure that traders have all the information they need to access the African market.
“It also gives me great pleasure to announce that the Ministry, through support from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has recently concluded the AfCFTA Implementation Strategy. The ultimate vision of this strategy is to make Eswatini one of the top 10 intra-regional exporters of value-added goods and services, said the minister.
Traders are encouraged to contact the following for more information on the agreement:
Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Trade
- Ms Lungile Dlamini, Director
International Trade Department
mahlalelalp@yahoo.com (7606 3001)
- Ms Khetsiwe Dlamini, Senior Trade Policy Analyst
International Trade Department
khetsiwekd@gmail.com (76141278)
Traders can also visit the International Trade Department offices on Gwamile Street between Eswatini Bank and the Deputy Prime Minister’s office.
They can also visit the Eswatini Revenue Service Headquarters in Ezulwini for the issuance of certificates of origin and the Eswatini Investment Promotion offices at the Sibekelo Building in Mbabane.
