MBABANE:Mancoba Khumalo, the Minister of Commerce,Industry and Trade says, the Kingdom of eSwatini will commence trade under the AfCFTA Agreement, Government online platforms reported on Thursday.
Speaking during a press conference held in Mbabane, the Minister said the trade will commence from Thursday, 31 January 2024, following the issuance of a Gazette by the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC), on behalf of the five Southern African Customs Union(SACU)Member States.
“The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade has already engaged traders to take advantage of this great opportunity to penetrate the African market. As a tool to enhance trade under the AfCFTA Agreement, Eswatini has since joined other AfCFTA Partner States that are part of the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI).Under this initiative, the AfCFTA Secretariat assists in connecting businesses and products for import and export amongst the Partner States. Currently, Egypt, Kenya, Cameroon, Rwanda, Ghana, Mauritius, Tanzania and Tunisia are trading under this initiative and Eswatini is amongst the countries that are set to join the second phase of the programme,” said the Commerce Minister.
Commerce Minister Mancoba Khumalo.