Ghana has beaten six other African countries to be named host of the secretariat for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Ghana beat bids from Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar and Senegal to be selected host of the secretariat.
According to 3news.com sources, Ghana was selected by the review committee based on the regional balance formula.
The announcement was made on Saturday at an Extraordinary Summit of the African Union’s Heads of State and Government held in Niamey, Niger.
The secretariat’s primary mandate will be the implementation the AfCFTA agreement, which has been ratified by 25 countries, according to the African Union.
Nigeria announced last Thursday that it will sign the agreement.
Meanwhile, the AU Commission’s Commissioner for Trade and Industry Ambassador Albert Muchanga announced at the Summit that Benin had agreed to sign the AfCFTA agreement to become the 54th signatory state.
Eritrea is the only African Union member state not to have signed the agreement.
Source: 3news.com|Ghana