Nam to consult on AfCFTA
Many SADC counties did not immediately sign for the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Namibia says it had no time to undertake and complete its constitutional or legal requirements before the day of 21 March.
Ndama Nakashole - Namibia did not sign the agreement on the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Kigali, Rwanda because a process of national consultation on the final agreement is yet to take place.
Namibia’s chief negotiator at the AfCFTA, Annacsy Mwanyangapo, told Market Watch that while Namibia has fully participated in the negotiations of the AfCFTA agreement, the last rounds leading to the legal scrubbing of the instruments and their final adoption by all the relevant AU structures up to the assembly happened sequentially, leaving Namibia, and similarly some other countries with no time to undertake and complete their constitutional or legal requirements before 21 March.
On Wednesday last week, 44 of the 53 countries signed for the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Kigali, Rwanda.
This was done during the African Union (AU)’s 10th extraordinary session held in that country.
‘Fully committed’
Apart from Namibia, other SADC countries such as South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia, Botswana did not sign. Neither did Eritrea, Burundi, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau.
“Namibia is fully committed to the AfCFTA process and will now proceed to undertake domestic requirements to enable her to sign the agreement as early as possible,” she said.
Mwanyangapo, who is the deputy permanent secretary heading the international trade directorate, highlighted that South Africa, Namibia’s biggest trading partner’s non-signing or signing will not have any impact on Namibia.
She added that there is still outstanding work to be done and signatures do not automatically result in the implementation of the agreement.
Member states are yet to engage on tariff offers and conclude on rules of origin and services sectors of liberalisation which are critical to the implementation of the agreement, she said.
“Namibia and her SACU partners will take one tariff offer to the other parties on basis of reciprocity,” she said.
Outstanding issues
Namibia Trade Forum’s CEO Ndiitah Nghipondoka-Robiati told Market Watch from Kigali, Rwanda on Thursday that she is not sure exactly why Namibia did not sign but said there are so many outstanding issues with regards to the agreement.
She said a date is set to finalise those outstanding items to 21 March 2019, giving a year for finalisation of those issues. Only then, Namibia would possibly lose out on the benefits of the agreement, according to her.
“It makes sense that the government would not want to signal to the business operators by signing the agreement with all the outstanding issues as there will in reality be not much happening by ‘just signing’ , she said.
She added that the real value lies in a complete package especially the issues that are still outstanding.
Nghipondoka-Robiati said despite that, Namibia is still very committed to signing the agreement.
She said South Africa, Namibia’s biggest trading partner mentioned at the AU that they will sign in June at the next AU summit, due to legal technical grounds as the document needs domestic reviews.
Schedule
According to the AfCFTA Transition Implememtaion Work Programme, issues such as legal scrubbing of annexes and appendices, hosting of more meetings of the AfCFTA, having a workshop on the schedule of tariff concessions, and the establishment of relevant AfCFTA committees, among other issues, should be done within a period of one year from 22 March 2018.
The agreement will require ratification by at least 22 member states before it comes into force.
Trade minister Tjekero Tweya, who is Namibia’s signing authority on AfCFTA, told Market Watch from Kigali on Thursday that he will give a full report upon return to the country.
Namibia’s chief negotiator at the AfCFTA, Annacsy Mwanyangapo, told Market Watch that while Namibia has fully participated in the negotiations of the AfCFTA agreement, the last rounds leading to the legal scrubbing of the instruments and their final adoption by all the relevant AU structures up to the assembly happened sequentially, leaving Namibia, and similarly some other countries with no time to undertake and complete their constitutional or legal requirements before 21 March.
On Wednesday last week, 44 of the 53 countries signed for the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Kigali, Rwanda.
This was done during the African Union (AU)’s 10th extraordinary session held in that country.
‘Fully committed’
Apart from Namibia, other SADC countries such as South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia, Botswana did not sign. Neither did Eritrea, Burundi, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau.
“Namibia is fully committed to the AfCFTA process and will now proceed to undertake domestic requirements to enable her to sign the agreement as early as possible,” she said.
Mwanyangapo, who is the deputy permanent secretary heading the international trade directorate, highlighted that South Africa, Namibia’s biggest trading partner’s non-signing or signing will not have any impact on Namibia.
She added that there is still outstanding work to be done and signatures do not automatically result in the implementation of the agreement.
Member states are yet to engage on tariff offers and conclude on rules of origin and services sectors of liberalisation which are critical to the implementation of the agreement, she said.
“Namibia and her SACU partners will take one tariff offer to the other parties on basis of reciprocity,” she said.
Outstanding issues
Namibia Trade Forum’s CEO Ndiitah Nghipondoka-Robiati told Market Watch from Kigali, Rwanda on Thursday that she is not sure exactly why Namibia did not sign but said there are so many outstanding issues with regards to the agreement.
She said a date is set to finalise those outstanding items to 21 March 2019, giving a year for finalisation of those issues. Only then, Namibia would possibly lose out on the benefits of the agreement, according to her.
“It makes sense that the government would not want to signal to the business operators by signing the agreement with all the outstanding issues as there will in reality be not much happening by ‘just signing’ , she said.
She added that the real value lies in a complete package especially the issues that are still outstanding.
Nghipondoka-Robiati said despite that, Namibia is still very committed to signing the agreement.
She said South Africa, Namibia’s biggest trading partner mentioned at the AU that they will sign in June at the next AU summit, due to legal technical grounds as the document needs domestic reviews.
Schedule
According to the AfCFTA Transition Implememtaion Work Programme, issues such as legal scrubbing of annexes and appendices, hosting of more meetings of the AfCFTA, having a workshop on the schedule of tariff concessions, and the establishment of relevant AfCFTA committees, among other issues, should be done within a period of one year from 22 March 2018.
The agreement will require ratification by at least 22 member states before it comes into force.
Trade minister Tjekero Tweya, who is Namibia’s signing authority on AfCFTA, told Market Watch from Kigali on Thursday that he will give a full report upon return to the country.
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