Some Members of Parliament have called on government to ensure that the country benefits from the opportunity to host the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
AfCFTA is the world’s largest free trade area since the formation of the World Trade Organization, which will cover a market of 1.2 billion people, with a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $2.5 trillion, across the fifty-four (54) Member States of the African Union that have signed up to the Agreement.
The Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee and MP for Bia West, Augustine Tawiah, urged government to position Ghana to surmount the challenges that would arise from AfCFTA
He explained that, “Whilst we rejoice that Ghana is going to host the centre and Africa is going to benefit from it, we must also be mindful of the challenges that come with it and the issues that arise whether we will continue now or in the future.”
Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsawam Adoargyiri, Frank Annor Dompreh in a statement in Parliament also highlighted some benefits Ghana could derive from hosting the Secretariat.
Also, the MP for Assin South, John Ntim Fordjour, explained that AfCFTA is not only limited to the free movement of goods and services but will also pave way for free movement of business owners and entrepreneurial potentials.
“We are also going to see free movement of businessmen and people of entrepreneurial potentials who are going to take advantage of this synergy and arrangement to ensure that businesses are promoted,” he said.