AFTA benefits can’t be attained without commodity based industrialization – UNECA

UNITED Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) economic affairs officer Bineswaree Bolaky has urged African countries to accelerate commodity based industrialization, manufacturing and regional value chain development. Addressing the media during a UNECA conference recently, Bolaky said the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) could not deliver benefits unless countries accelerated implementation of industrialization strategies. “This year we are advocating for countries on the kind of reforms and policy measures they have to put in place to better harness the ACFTA. A big message is to of course encourage countries to ratify the ACFTA but also to think strategically on how can we really translate this African union project into tangible benefits for Southern Africans themselves? For instance, what kind...