AfricaDev Sessions is a series of programs and debates for African companies and decision-makers addressing current issues, reflection and economic concerns.
Indeed, this debate moderated by Mouna Kadiri, Director of the Africa Development Club of the Attijariwafa bank group saw the participation of leading players, namely, Cynthia E. Gnassingbe-Essonam, Senior Advisor for private sector engagement with the secretary of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECAf), Mossadeck Bally, Founder and Chairman of the Azalai Hotels Group and Daouda Coulibaly, Managing Director of Attijari West Africa of the Attijariwafa bank group.
This exchange allowed guests wishing to develop within the continent, to keep abreast of the implementation of the ZLECAf but also of the various support systems within Attijariwafa bank and across the continent. .
Speaking at the event, Cynthia E. Gnassingbe-Essonam highlighted that “the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement is signed by 54 countries, 43 of which have deposited their instruments of ratification. The agreement implemented might increase the income of the countries significantly”.
Gnassingbe highlighted the provisions of the AfCFTA for growth sectors in Goods & Services, Financial Services, Telecommunications, Construction, Distribution, Automotive, Agro-industry, Transport, health with pillars related to digital trade, intellectual property, in particular.
“A rules of origin manual in which more than 5,000 products will be exposed, detailing their process, treatment and pricing within the framework of this free trade zone will soon be available to companies”, a- she added.
For his part, Mossadeck Bally explained that: “The health and social crisis linked to covid-19 and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have exposed our shortcomings in several areas. This situation led the Azalai group towards local business by developing the Meeting International Conference Event (MICE) and made us discover a local business potential that we were not developing enough”.
And to continue: “Today, we must develop intra-African tourism, we Africans must discover our continent, that we travel, that we take our holidays and that we do business on our continent. The opportunity offered by the ZLECAf to trade with each other will greatly expand these opportunities”.
Mouna Kadiri added for her part that “the constraint creates the means. We discover unsuspected resources at home which are to be developed and deployed and it took crises to reveal them”.
For Daouda Coulibaly, the good news is in continuity, the Attijariwafa bank group believes in Africa, in its development potential and in its future. The group has launched an “Ambition 2025” strategic plan in which there is a real desire to strengthen its presence, its financing and its support for African companies.
This 3rd AfricaDev Session thus dissected one of the flagship projects of the African Union’s 2063 agenda, with great ambitions such as stimulating intra-African trade by creating a single continental market.
