The Gambia’s Draft Schedule of Specific Commitments for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Trade in Service Negotiations has been validated on Wednesday.
The validation is part of the country’s preparations for AfCFTA, and to meet the ECOWAS Member States commitment to submit a common schedule of specific commitments to the AU for negotiations with other African countries.
The Gambia’s schedule of specific commitment draft report is ready… for review and updating, the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment said during Wednesday’s validation at a local hotel in Kololi.
AU leaders launched the agreement a year ago to help accelerate intra-African trade and to boost Africa’s trading position in the global market by strengthening its common voice and policy space in global trade negotiations.
The AfCFTA has been signed by almost all African countries to create the world’s largest free zone. The African Union agreed that 90 percent of the products should be liberalized.
“In the area of trade in service negotiations, five sectors have been identified. This decision is made to strengthen the implementation of the free trade agreement in the area of transportation, tourism, business, financial, and communication,” Abdoulie Jammeh, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade, said.
“At the level of ECOWAS, we have to agree as a bloc, no country will be unilateral to change the tariff. When we all have external service it will be easier to liberalize,” he said.
