President John Dramani Mahama says he will campaign for Caribbean nations to be included in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) when he becomes Chairperson of the African Union (AU), describing the proposal as a way to deepen economic ties between Africa and the Caribbean.
Mr Mahama said widening the AfCFTA framework could increase trade, investment and commercial partnerships between the two regions, while also building on their longstanding historical and cultural connections.
He made the announcement at a joint press conference with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness during an official state visit to Jamaica.
The Ghanaian president cautioned that stronger trade links would not develop immediately and would require sustained work, targeted investment and better infrastructure.
“With regards to trade, we don’t kid ourselves that you snap your fingers and suddenly our trade volumes will go up. We need to work at it. And that is why I said one way of working at it is to put in the infrastructure and the logistics. But the second is to expand the trade area.
“And that is why I said as chair of the AU, I am going to push for the inclusion of the Caribbean into the African Continental Free Trade Area.”
Mr Mahama said extending the trading area would complement efforts to improve logistics and infrastructure, which he identified as essential to increasing the volume of goods exchanged between Africa and the Caribbean.
He also outlined how the AfCFTA’s system of harmonised product standards is intended to make cross-border trade easier for companies.
Under the arrangement, a product approved by the relevant national standards authority can be placed on a register, allowing businesses in participating countries to identify goods that meet the required conditions for trade.
“The way the African Continental Free Trade Area works is that we harmonise our standards. And once you get approval from your standards authority that your product is of the standard that you can export, then they put you on a register.
“And if you go on, you can see which commodities qualify. They can be electrical cables. They can be transformers. They can be iron and steel products. They can be processed food products.
“I mean, there are so many pharmaceutical products. And so once you go in there and you decide to trade, you go on the platform. It will get you in touch with the producer in whichever country.”
According to President Mahama, the harmonisation of standards removes the need for companies to complete separate certification procedures in each market. That, he said, should help manufacturers and exporters gain access to markets across Africa.
He argued that bringing Caribbean countries into the continental free trade framework could create fresh opportunities for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.
The proposal, he said, would support greater economic integration and shared prosperity while using expanded trade and investment to reinforce the relationship between Africa and the Caribbean.
