The African Union Southern Africa Regional Office (AU-SARO) in partnership with the Government of Malawi, UNECA-SRO-SA, and the AfCFTA Secretariat organized the AfCFTA Multi-Stakeholders High-level Conference on 10th and 11th February 2022 at the BICC in Lilongwe.

The main objective of the Conference was to sensitize stakeholders in Malawi on the AfCFTA Agreement as well as to review Malawi’s preparedness and readiness to implement the Agreement.

Opening the conference, Malawi’s Minister of Trade and Industry,   Mark Katsonga Phiri, said Malawi is committed to the AfCFTA agreement.

"Malawi believes in the potential of the AfCFTA as a catalyst for Africa’s economic development agenda and also the realisation of the Malawi vision 2063. Our private sector should take advantage of the opportunities that are created by the AfCFTA."

"But for us to benefit fully as a country we need to start producing innovative and competitive products that would excel on the marketplace."

The continental free trade area is projected to Increase intra-continental exports by more than 81% percent, while exports to non-African countries will rise by 19 percent. The net effect of these increases will contribute to the lifting of an additional 30 million people out of extreme poverty and 68 million people out of moderate poverty.

The AfCFTA is a flagship project of Agenda 2063 of the African Union. It aims at accelerating intra-African trade and boosting Africa’s trading position in the global market by strengthening Africa’s common voice and policy space in global trade negotiations. As of 10th February 2022, 41 of the 54 signatories have deposited their instruments of AfCFTA.