Africa's economic growth is picking up pace and is expected to reach 6.3 per cent in East Africa and 3.4 per cent in Sub-Saharan Africa by the end of this year.

Nigeria’s economic structure, dominated by commodities and primary products offerings, with a slow-paced, but painful infrastructure development strategy, is now running against its plans to participate in the continent’s market integration agenda.

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has restated the need for Federal Government to thread with caution in appending signature to the African Union Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The association specifically warned that Nigeria should not sign the AfCFTA agreement based on bandwagon effect or on the ground of diplomatic niceties. Director-General of MAN,…

And now AfCFTA seeks to increase “internal” trade in a continent with structural problems of low complementarity of tradable natural commodities, poor socio-economic infrastructure and a stagnant 10% contribution of manufacturing industry to its GDP.

While Nigeria’s economy has been chronically afflicted by poor strategic planning, policy inconsistency and operational incongruence that continually...

Worried that job creation in the continent is not keeping pace with the growing workforce, thus leaving many unemployed and economy less inclusive, the African Union, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), and other development agencies are pushing for the implementation of African Continental ....

To enhance growth of intra-African trade and industrialisation within the continent, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), is pushing for support and implementation of continental economic integration.

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), may not come into force anytime soon as only seven of the 22 countries needed to ratify it, have signed the deal. The deal is meant to create a single continental market for goods and services. Each country has 120 days after signing the framework to ratify. But…

Echoing the views of local manufacturers on the need to engage critical stakeholders preparatory to the AfCFTA ratification, the African Union Commission (AUC) has highlighted...

Nigeria’s ratification of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA), appears to be on the ledge as key members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS), the National Association...

African standards bodies have collaborated to boost trade in the African bloc by deploying the use of metrological infrastructure. According to the group, using metrology infrastructure to drive trade in the continent had become imperative, pointing out that it would go a long way to complement the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA). This was…

The National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has called on the Federal Government to ratify the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) citing that apathy towards the treaty was spurred by fear of dumping from other African countries. According to NACCIMA, only six per cent of the excluded products…