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New initiative to facilitate intra-Africa trade launched in Kigali

Xinhua, May 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

A new initiative aimed to address the transformation of trans-boundary transport and logistics sector in Africa was launched Wednesday in Kigali.

The MoveAfrica initiative was launched by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum for Africa which opened Wednesday in Kigali.

The initiative seeks to drive down costs and increase efficiency for the manufacturers operating in Africa.

It will complement the work stream of the Continental Business Network (CBN), an initiative designed to get business and political leaders around the same table, according to officials.

It will focus on driving down costs and increasing efficiency for logistics companies and manufacturers in varied industries operating in Africa.

Speaking at the launch, Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO of NEPAD, said Africa cannot hope for industrialisation of the continent without functional transport infrastructure.

"This requires not only a quantitative improvement of our infrastructure, but also a radical simplification and harmonization of regulatory conditions and procedures of business on the continent," said Mayaki.

The volume of trade in sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to triple, from 102.6 million tonnes in 2009 to 384 million tonnes by 2030, according to NEPAD.

Three trade blocs including Southern African Development Community, the East African Community and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, in 2015 agreed to form a single new trade zone in 2017.

MoveAfrica comes in handy as it seeks to address cross-border transport issues, customs clearance and quarantine, and the systems and organisational resources for the operation and maintenance of hard infrastructure such as roads and ports.

Fatima Haram Acyl, African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry, called for active intervention from all stakeholders to boost intra-Africa Trade based on the Continental Free Trade Area that was signed in 2012.

The African Union, she said, has a customs trade facility and welcomes NEPAD's full involvement for free trade to implement the customs standards and processes.

The MoveAfrica initiative planed activities include looking at the continent's ability to transport goods and services, and consultation on ways of improving transport and logistics in Africa. This will be done through dialogue among key partners from public and private sectors at the highest level. Enditem