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Rwanda has marked the commencement of trade with Ghana under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) in a major step towards promoting intra-African trade.
The milestone was celebrated in Accra yesterday, with the launch of a Made-In-Rwanda exhibition to showcase a shipment of premium agro-processed Made-in-Rwanda products to the Ghanaian market.
The products included coffee, tea, honey and avocado-based products.
The GTI allows commercially meaningful trading between selected parties to test the operational, institutional, legal and trade policy environment under AfCFTA.
Eight countries, Cameroun, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tanzania and Tunisia, representing five regions of Africa, have been selected to provisionally start trading in goods on a pilot basis.
The AfCFTA Secretariat will support the eight countries to trade, from shipment to customs clearing, and will present an opportunity to monitor the impacts of trade documents and procedures on pre-selected goods to get a sense of whether tariffs are reduced in line with AfCFTA procedures.
The Rwandan High Commissioner to Ghana, Rosemary Mbabazi, described the shipment of the products onto the Ghanaian market as a testament to the commitment to the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the existing strong bilateral relations between the two countries.
She said the new development was adding to the optimism that the low percentage of intra-African trade was changing as the AfCFTA Agreement was lifting barriers to the free movement of goods and services within the continent.
Ms Mbabazi also noted that the increasing engagement with Ghana had attracted a growing number of Rwandan companies that wanted to import from Ghana and Ghanaians looking to export to the Rwandan market, emphasising that her country was committed to ensuring the success of the two-way bilateral trade and to creating opportunities.
“This goes beyond showcasing products to being an addition to the infrastructure of optimism in the future of our One Africa Market. We hope that this milestone raises our urgency in addressing barriers to trade so that our people not only overcome poverty but are able to create big African brands and wealth,” she added.
The Representative of the AfCFTA Secretary General, Constance Moser, said the launch was a testament to the unwavering commitment of African nations to deepen economic integration and promote the seamless flow of goods and services across our vibrant continents.
“Rwanda is renowned for producing some of the finest quality beverages in the world. The country produces high-quality coffee and tea that not only reflects the hard work and dedication of its producers and farmers, but also underscores the country as a key partner and player in the global markets,” she said.
Ms Moser added that the products were the embodiment of a collective team and a dream of prosperity for a self-reliant Africa and by bringing them to Ghana, it would not only cater for the palate of all, but also strengthen the ties that bind the two nations and promote a culture of trade that benefits all.
The Chief Commercial Officer of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Kofi Addo, noted that according to statistics, Africa would have the largest youth population in the world by 2040 surpassing China and India, thus the need to significantly boost food production.
“By the data, it means Africa’s youthful population is going to go up. Thus, if we are going to have the highest youthful population, then, there’s one thing that we must do — we have a lot of mouths to feed.
“Are we again going to turn to our trading partners to continue feeding the African?” he asked.
Mr Addo urged African countries to leverage its largely organic agricultural produce for development because more people across the world, particularly in developed countries, were taking their health seriously.
