Khartoum, 22 October 2021(ECA) - The ECA Office for North Africa, the Ministry of Trade and Supply of the Republic of the Sudan and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) concluded on Thursday 21 October a joint stakeholder capacity building workshop held under the theme: “Regional Value Chains in North Africa and opportunities in the context of AfCFTA”.
The last of a series of three training workshops aimed at supporting Sudanese efforts to design the national AfCFTA Implementation Strategy, the meeting built on the Sudan AfCFTA Stakeholders’ Dialogue (20-24 December 2020) and the “African Continent Market Access for Sudanese Products” (24-29 July 2021).
This workshop sought to help participants familiarize themselves with the AfCFTA and its goods and services protocols so as to make the most of Sudan’s great resources, generate more added value, increase national competitiveness, access African markets, and join value chains while protecting sensitive economic sectors, said Nader El-Reeh Awad, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Trade and Supply in a speech on behalf of Minister Ali Giddo Adam Bashir.
Through its 1.3-billion-consumer market, the AfCFTA has the potential to catapult African economies exponentially on higher GDP paths by providing a favourable ground for African, manufactured and higher value-added goods exports and therefore facilitating the continent’s structural transformation.
Sudan is endowed with several promising sectors such as agriculture, cotton farming and livestock which could serve as a basis for the growth of significant leather, agro- and textile industries. As the country seeks to recover from both the impact of several decades of economic sanctions and the COVID-19 economic crisis, a well-used AfCFTA could be a powerful tool for for the country to upgrade and restore its economy while generating employment and reducing poverty.
The 17-21 October workshop on Regional Value Chains in North Africa and opportunities in the context of AfCFTA” took place with the participation of a number of officials from the Ministries of Trade and Supply, Finance and Economic planning, Agriculture, Investment and Livestock, as well as representatives from Sudan’s customs administration and taxation chamber.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org