The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in partnership with the International Trade Center, has launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness and educate the public on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This initiative aims to inform participants about the benefits and opportunities that the AfCFTA offers for trade within Africa.
During a workshop in Ganta, participants from various sectors, including business representatives, border security officials, customs authorities, and students, gathered to learn about the provisions of the AfCFTA.
Saye Domason Gbeakeh, the National Focus Person at the Ministry of Commerce, highlighted that the AfCFTA promotes free trade among African countries, allowing traders to conduct business across borders without obstacles.
“This new policy will allow all Africans to trade in any African country without any hindrance,” Gbeakeh said. “In the African Free zone, all Africans traders will be able to take their produce to any of the countries and be protected the same way the business of that particular country is protecting her business people.”
The AfCFTA, established in 2018 and enforced in 2019, seeks to create a unified market for goods and services, facilitate the movement of people and capital, and foster economic integration across the continent.
“This policy also seeks to accelerate the establishment of a continental customs union,” said Gbeakeh.
Accordingly, Liberia signed the AfCFTA on March 21, 2018 and ratified the agreement on July 11, 2023.
By adopting this policy, Liberia aims to benefit from expanded access to a market of approximately 1.3 billion potential customers, reduced trade barriers, and increased competitiveness.
“The country had developed its AfCFTA National Implementation Strategy, which is pending adoption,” said Jefferson Fahn, one of the facilitators at the awareness workshop in Ganta, recently.
“This agreement will enhance reduction of trade rules and measures, removing non-tariff barriers that might increase burden on traders, the payment of custom tariff, the payment of fees and changes at the port,” border,” he said.
“How do we streamline and simplify this measure is basically the objective of this agreement,” Fahn said.
Gbeakeh also added that once the policy is adopted, the implementation of this strategy will enable Liberia economic operators to access a broader African market of approximately 1.3 billion customers.
“Liberia stands to benefit from reduced or duty free access to designated importing African countries, fostering innovation, enhancing competitiveness, supporting value chain development, specialization and trade diversification,” said Domason Gbeakeh.
The workshop brought together business people, border security, customs authority, students and among others.
Participants at the workshop expressed optimism about the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA and emphasized the need for government support to empower traders, improve competitiveness, and add value to products for effective participation in the continental market.
Carina Grisgby Lee, a businesswoman attending the workshop expressed her happiness and urged the government to empower traders with financial aid and also build their capacity to be more competitive to other African traders.
“We need to add value to our goods or produce so it can be competitive to other goods across Africa, so we need help from the government,” she said.
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Customs officials also acknowledged the importance of understanding the AfCFTA framework to ensure smooth trade operations at border points and avoid unnecessary delays or costs that may impact traders and consumers.
Rickie Jah, a customs officer at the Ganta Port of Entrance expressed happiness for the workshop and added it also explained the customs of non-custom agents at the border.
He explained that, for them, they are aware and have been told about Africa Free trade, but the non-custom officers have no knowledge and so the way they interact with traders is harsh.
“We are also telling the security at the border to play their roles as security and stop interfering the custom affairs, because the more the extolled money from traders, the high the price of commodities will be,” Alex Saye Wuo, Department of Trade and Focus Point for ECOWAS Mobilization in Liberia at the Ministry of Commerce.
