Uche Uwaleke
It is no longer news that Nigeria was not among the 44 member countries of the African Union that signed the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement on March 21 in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. What is perhaps topical is that the government is currently weighing the pros and cons of fully endorsing the agreement. It will be recalled that the decision to establish the AfCFTA was taken in 2012 by all Heads of State and Government of the African Union at their 18th Ordinary Session while actual negotiations were launched at the AU Johannesburg Summit in 2015. The agreement is meant to establish a common protocol that will make possible free movement of goods and services among member nations of the AU. Its main features include the removal of tariffs on 90 per cent of goods with 10 per cent of “sensitive items” to be accommodated later, minimising delays…
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