Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, the CEO of ITFC, Acting CEO of ICD, and Secretary General of the AATB Program, along with Dr. Hermogene Nsengimana, the General Secretary of ARSO, signed a Grant Agreement within the framework of the Arab-Africa Trade Bridges (AATB) Program. This pivotal agreement aimed at harmonizing African standards for textiles and leather products, ensuring a transformative change in the African Fashion Industry. It further reinforces AATB’s commitment to fostering trade development and quality enhancement in Africa, building on the success of the recent harmonization of pharmaceutical and medical device standards initiative.  Both harmonization initiatives are aligned with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.

Also, a Partnership Agreement was signed between ITFC and the International Trade Centre (ITC), under the umbrella of the AATB program to mark the initiation of Phase Two for the transformative "How to Export with the AfCFTA” Program, developed collaboratively with Afreximbank. The training program, which is set to directly benefit several African countries, namely Benin, Cameroon, Senegal, and Togo, will share the fundamentals of exporting within the framework of intra-African trade.   

The program’s primary objective is to raise awareness regarding the technical aspects and potential opportunities arising from the AfCFTA agreement. By participating in this training, enterprises will learn to evaluate their standing concerning new trading opportunities. Moreover, they will be equipped to strategize and make informed decisions on how best to leverage the benefits presented by the AfCFTA agreement. This partnership agreement was signed by Hani Salem Sonbol, the CEO of ITFC, Acting CEO of ICD, and Secretary General of the AATB Program, and Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of ITC.

As large and small businesses are pivotal to Africa’s economic growth structural transformation, these agreements play a strategic role in bolstering the AATB program’s influence in promoting trade and investment development to drive positive economic impact across the continent.