Google CEO speaks at UNECA forum on transport, tourism

Google CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted African innovation during a brief address Monday to the Business Forum of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) held in Addis Ababa. The business forum was held on the margins of the annual African Union Summit. It focused on transportation as part of…

AfCFTA Secretariat ceremony held in Ghana

The keys to the new headquarters of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat were handed over on Monday in Ghana, where the government also established a permanent residence for the first AfCFTA head. Wamkele Keabetswe Mene, the South African elected to the position in February, delivered remarks at…

Ramaphosa takes up AU presidency with an economic focus

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stepped into his new leadership role as African Union president on Sunday, taking the helm from outgoing President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt as the AU Summit got under way. Ramaphosa kept security issues top of mind in keeping with the AU Summit theme – South…

Kenyatta says U.S. trade deal won’t undermine AfCFTA

The president of Kenya said Friday that a new bilateral trade deal with the United States won’t threaten the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) or reduce the country’s commitment to the African common market. President Uhuru Kenyatta met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday…

Ghana wants in on the ECO, urges ECOWAS nations to follow

The Government of Ghana has announced its full support for the new ECO currency that will replace the CFA Franc in 2020, and is urging other West African states to do the same. President Nana Akufo Addo, a champion of regional cooperation through the 15-nation ECOWAS organization and a common…

Kenyatta talks investment in Saudi Arabia

President Uhuru Kenyatta, speaking at the Future Investment Initiative in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, said it was time for Middle Eastern nations to renew the historic investment interest in African economies, one that dated back to the ancient days of maritime trade depending on dhows and monsoon winds. “Here we…

Opinion: Africa does not need a single currency

By Piotr Arak AT Contributor The process of increasing international trade in Africa and decreasing barriers that can foster growth resembles the goals and policies introduced successfully in Europe. This year Africa will take a big step towards tackling entrenched economic problems including a dearth of intra-regional trade as the…

Ghana selected as home for AfCFTA secretariat

The new African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will make its home in Ghana, a decision announced Sunday during an African Union summit in Niger that celebrated the official launch of the free-trade deal. Actual trading under AfCFTA is expected to begin a year from now and when it does,…

China congratulates Africans on AfCFTA launch

China on Monday congratulated African nations following the weekend launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Niamey, Niger, during an African Union summit that saw Niger and Benin join the near-complete list of African nations signed to the trade deal. The achievement was welcomed by China’s ministry…

Benin joins Nigeria, agrees to sign AfCFTA agreement

The West African nation of Benin will sign its agreement to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a move announced Friday that follows Nigeria’s big decision in favor of the common market earlier this week. That leaves just “one more signatory state before all 55 African Union members are…

Study: AfCFTA to bring biggest benefits to Central Africa

A study that looked at the potential regional impacts of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement suggests that it’s Central Africa that stands to gain the most from a unified African market of 1.3 billion consumers, and the easier movement of people and goods across borders. Research director…