Addis Ababa: Ethiopia’s President Taye Atske Selassie reiterated the commitment of his country to fully implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Speaking at the opening of the 57th Session of the Economic Commission for Africa: Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, the president expressed confidence to accelerate the implementation of AfCFTA as Ethiopia has a track record of realizing regional integration.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, Taye elaborated that Ethiopia is striving for attaining regional integration through infrastructures and electric power connectivity with its neighbours. Likewise, the East African nation is also fully committed to the full implementation of the AfCFTA and to working alongside our African brothers and sisters to build a united, prosperous, and resilient continent, he said.
In parallel, “we are prioritizing the domestication of the agreement with a sworn focus on capacity building to ensure readiness, popularizing campaigns targeting the private sector and key implementation bodies are underway.” According to him, “Ethiopia gives emphasis to infrastructure development, which is a critical instrument for our trade integration agenda.”
The president further cited infrastructure connectivity with neighboring countries such as South Sudan, Kenya, and Djibouti. Recently, we inked an agreement to connect Ethiopia and South Sudan, as well as our participation in the LAPSSET corridor underscores our commitment to expanding regional logistic and trade facilitation, he indicated. These corridors are anticipated to significantly enhance mobility, trade, and create better avenues for the implementation of the AfCFTA.
Beyond transport infrastructure, the president underscored that Ethiopia is investing in regional energy integration. By exporting renewable, affordable, and sustainable electricity to neighboring countries, Ethiopia is helping bridge Africa’s energy deficit, a prerequisite for investment and industrialization. Furthermore, Ethiopia’s investment in industrial parks and the Special Economic Zone highlights our commitment to value-added production and manufacturing, Taye added.