Minister of Trade Christopher Yaluma says Government will not rush into signing the African Continental Free Trade Area – AfCFTA until stakeholder consultation is complete.
Speaking upon arrival in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, Yaluma stated that Zambia will not rush to ratify the AfCTA agreement to be done before the forthcoming July African Union Heads of States Summit.
He said the wide consultation is meant to ensure that the country instituted mechanisms to ensure that Zambia does not become a dumping site for substandard products.
In a statement made available to the Zambian Business Times – ZBT by Press Secretary Inutu Mwanza, Yaluma said the consultative process with relevant stakeholders is still on-going and has not been exhausted to warrant ratification during the operationalization of the AfCTA at next month’s summit.
He said government wants to obtain full endorsement from the private sector as they will be the major drivers of the programme.
The Minister added that the signing of the AfCFTA framework by President Lungu in March was testimony that Zambia was committed to being part of the single largest market in Africa.
The Minister who is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for a consultative meeting on the AfCFTA however said that there is a possibility that Government could table the AfCFTA for ratification before Parliament in August.
He said Zambia understands the importance of being part of the single largest market and wants the private sector in the country to drive the process. Zambia’s Trade Minister was received in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, Emmanuel Mwamba.
