48 of the 55 countries on the African continent have already ratified the agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the world’s largest free trade zone. Six years after its creation and three years after its entry into force, Africa is still waiting impatiently to see the incredible results promised by the biggest African project since independence, according to its promoters. The AfCFTA secretariat emphasizes the role of the media, especially African media, in promoting the work and progress of this project.
It is billed as one of the biggest projects ever undertaken in post-independence Africa. The agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, is indeed the world’s largest free trade zone in terms of the number of participating countries. The continent’s entrepreneurs, women, young people and industrialists have heard of it, but few are aware of the progress made towards its effective implementation. The AfCFTA secretariat is counting on African journalists to get the message out about the implementation of this agreement.
I learnt a lot from talking to journalists but also listening to their questions and observations. There is a need to make sure that information is easily accessible and easily digestible such that it can be embraced and consumed by everyone. What I also observed from the journalists is the need for a mindset shift, especially of the media houses in terms of how do we report and focus on the AfCFTA.
Talkmore CHIDEDE, Digital Trade Expert, AfCFTA Secretariat
On the eve of the Biashara Afrika 2024 Business Forum on October 8, this digital trade expert led a training session for African journalists on the AfCFTA and its most important pillars. Topics such as AfCFTA’s priority investment sectors, trade guided initiatives, digital trade, youth and women trading under AfCFTA and many topics were presented to the journalists.
Newsrooms are more inclined to report on things that are exclusive and things that are more likely to drive traffic, whether towards the website or if you’re a newspaper; things that would make people buy the newspaper. And most of that is negativity. My question and my concern was that, that’s what we are hearing mostly about the AfCFTA now and not really the good news about it. And the feedback we got from the panel was really useful; in that, it’s not only what happens at the political level but we should start reporting about the ordinary person on the ground; how they are working towards actually integrating AfCFTA in their daily businesses.
Thando MAEKO, Journalist at Business Daily
Some highlights of the AfCFTA include the fact that it could help lift over 30 million Africans out of extreme poverty. It is also expected to boost African income by US$450 billion by 2035, representing 7% of African income growth.