REGIONAL INTEGRATION

Angola to join SADC Free Trade Area in June

Angola's accession to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Free Trade Area (FTA) will be approved next month at the meeting of the SADC Committee of Ministers of Trade and ratified at the organisation's Heads of State Summit.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Industry and Trade, Rui Miguêns de Oliveira, on Tuesday, 27 May, in Luanda, during the 19th edition of CaféCIPRA, which addressed the theme ‘Angola at the centre of African diplomacy’.

Rui Miguêns de Oliveira said it was a significant and important step towards the consolidation of African sub-regions.

The SADC Free Trade Area, he explained, promotes the liberalisation of intra-African trade and fosters economic independence, but there is a need for states to have the capacity to do business with each other and develop economic relations so that the continent can develop as one.

‘We need to know where we are going, because sometimes the difficulties and challenges we face on a daily basis can make us forget that we have a direction, that we have a purpose,’ stressed the minister, who acknowledged that this is a ‘Herculean challenge’ given that African states still face many difficulties.

The minister stated that Angola continues to work towards joining the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in the coming years, within the African Union's Agenda 2063, because the progress of industrialisation in African countries has allowed for an increase in domestic production, and Angola is part of this segment.

Rui Miguêns de Oliveira admitted, however, that despite the increase in the production capacity of local goods and consumption, industrialisation is not yet reflected in people's quality of life.

‘We are aware of this, but no race starts at the finish line, it always starts at the beginning,’ he stressed.

Joining the SADC FTA will also allow Angola to benefit from reduced trade tariffs, greater access to regional markets and stronger cross-border collaboration.

The main objective of creating the zone is to eliminate trade barriers, stimulate economic growth and create new employment opportunities.

Angola signed the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area on 21 March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda, during the 10th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.