Central African countries urged to align themselves to Africa’s ongoing trade integration

Abstract

Members of the Committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration of the Economic Community of Central Africa States (ECCAS) have urged the Secretariat of the 11-nation Community to intensify its efforts at mobilizing member States to do their due diligence for the ECCAS Free Trade Area to become effective. The Douala Session which was made possible by a European Union funding pot for the harmonization of ECCAS-CEMAC trade instruments, program-managed by the UN Economic Commission for Africa, was chaired by the Deputy Secretary General in charge of Physical, Economic and Monetary Integration at the ECCAS Secretariat Ms. Marie Therese Chantal Mfoula, on behalf of Secretary General Ahmad Allam-Mi. Speaking side-by-side the Coordinator of the Technical Secretariat of the Steering Committee for the Rationalization of Regional Economic Communities in Central Africa – Mr. Patrice Libong Badjang (who welcomed the participants), Ms Mfoula implored the Committee’s members to double their efforts at helping countries of the Central African sub-region to fully align themselves with the current continent-wide integration process. Advantages are self-evident in pointing out the need for ECCAS member States to accelerate trade integration within their own sub-region as recommended by members of the Technical Committee who have channeled detailed recommendations of their 5th session to the countries in question via the ECCAS Secretariat.