The 15th African Trade Ministers' Meeting and the 19th Senior Trade Officials' Meeting are currently taking place in Addis Ababa.
This gathering brings together member countries of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Yasin Wahabrebi, State Minister for Trade Relations and Export Promotion at the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration, gave a statement regarding the continental conference.
She highlighted that this is the first time Ethiopia has hosted these major conferences since the establishment of the AfCFTA. The purpose of the meeting is to address outstanding issues related to the full implementation of the AfCFTA, find solutions through consultations, and review challenges encountered during the pilot implementation phase to make decisions.
The key agenda items include rules of origin for goods, trade offers for goods and services, and investment dispute settlement mechanisms. The meeting is a continuation of previous continental negotiations and is expected to significantly contribute to the full implementation of the AfCFTA agreement.