Niamey (Niger), 5 July 2021 (ECA) -- Key players in Niger's economy are reviewing their country's National Strategy for implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) with the support of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with the European Union Commission and the government of Niger.
The two-day meeting which began on Thursday in Niamey is part of a technical assistance project aimed at deepening trade integration through the effective implementation of the AfCFTA with financial support from the EU.
During the meeting, stakeholders will review and validate the country’s national strategy whose overall objective is to contribute to the growth of Niger's exports and accelerate economic growth as outlined in the country’s Economic and Social Development Plan.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Youth Entrepreneurship, Mr Gado Sabo Moctar, said: "the implementation of the AfCFTA is perfectly in line with the objectives of the Niger Renaissance Program Act 3. "There is a need to create the conditions for the emergence of a competitive private sector by taking concrete actions to promote investment in the productive sectors," he said.
In her own remarks, the EU Ambassador to Niger, Mrs Denisa-Elena IONETE, said: "The first reason for satisfaction is to note that this national workshop brings together all stakeholders involved in this process, and follows the national consultations. This indicates the participatory and inclusive nature of the exercise.
"Trade is one of the strategic and traditional areas of mutual interest in EU-African Union cooperation and a key pillar of the new EU-Africa partnership.”
The representative of the ECA Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, Amadou Diouf, said "the AfCFTA offers an opportunity for African countries and Niger in particular to respond to the challenges of job creation, economic diversification, development of a digital identity system for social inclusion and a better distribution of the benefits of growth in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals.
For further information, please contact: Tahirou Gouro, Communication Officer, ECA- SRO/WA,
Email: gouro2@un.org
Sub-Regional Office for West Africa
428 Avenue du Fleuve Niger
B.P. 744
Niamey, Niger