ESWATINI FREE TO TRADE WITH OVER 50 COUNTRIES

MBABANE – Eswatini is now free to trade with over 50 countries in the African continent, despite not being with them in any regional bloc.

This means the country can now reach out to a market of over 1 billion people who live in the African continent.
The latest development is a result of a joint sitting of Parliament yesterday, which saw the approval of the ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) Agreement.  

The sitting that was summoned by the King took less than 30 minutes to approve the motion that was moved by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mgwagwa Gamedze.
During the sitting more members of the House of Assembly showed up compared to Senators.

Gamedze explained the advantages of ratifying the agreement, saying it would not kill the existing trade relations between Africans states yet it would allow free trade among states even if they are not members of the same regional bloc.

He said at the moment countries like Eswatini were free to trade with members it shares the SADC, COMESA and SACU with, yet this new agreement opens up more opportunities covering over 50 countries of the continent. “The countries, however, will continue to negotiate tariffs as a bloc and not as individuals,” the minister said.
He said this would not compromise the existing markets as countries would still maintain and protect their own markets and will remain obliged to maintain regional trade.

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