The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), if successfully implemented, holds the prospect of lifting 30 million Africans out of extreme poverty and boosting the continent’s income by $450 billion by 2035, amongst many other touted benefits. There is a clear global consensus that creating a single, continent-wide market for goods and services, business and investment would be a huge step forward for Africa, placing it as an emerging leader in global trade.
For the AfCFTA to achieve this potential, it will require concerted reforms in trade policy across a wide swathe of the continent, regarding trade regulation, reducing tariffs and other technical barriers, and so on to “maximise benefits and reduce risks.” But will it effectively advance the goals of sustainable development, social and economic justice? Or is it the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing? Who will be the winners and the losers in this push toward regional integration?
In this IFAA panel discussion, we invite members of labour and international organisations to present their views on what this vast initiative implies for the transformative agenda of gender, labour and social justice.
Our speakers are Etienne Vlok of SACTWU, Nina Benjamin of the Labour Research Service and Gyekye Tanoh of Third World Network-Africa.
Here are the registration details:
You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Jun 29, 2021 03:00 PM Harare, Pretoria
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpdeiprD4uGtcsIgmDvDmnc1Kqp4FuHWx2
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.