Closing the Trade & Investment Facilitation Skills Gap will Accelerate AfCFTA Adoption and Implementation

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A lot has been said about the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), including its benefits and technicalities but one thing I have observed is a skill gap on how to personalize the agreement. The big question really is now what does the agreement mean to you? What does that mean to your role and responsibilities as a trade and investment stakeholder?

For several years now, I have been bringing together global thinkers and stakeholders together on the Trade with Africa Business Summit and on other platforms and what I have also found is that this is not just enough! It is the first step in a series of steps that must take place. What I see every day is a massive skills gap which is the ability to take a strategic vision such as the AfCFTA and then translate it into meaningful actions that will drive its implementation. Closing that skills gap has to happen to maximize the AfCFTA towards the rapid industrialization and development of Africa.

Unfortunately, without this much needed Human Capital investment to transition leaders into the "new way of working and thinking" on the continent, the trade pact will remain only on paper as a pipe dream. I have seen such before - as example, for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is a preferential trade policy enacted by the United States government since 2000 to open the country’s market to eligible Sub-Saharan African countries, till today, after 20 years, many African countries have yet to take full advantage of the opportunities it presents due largely to their inability to navigate the non-tariff barriers.

Eliminating tariff is one step, we also have non-tariff barriers, which is where the real work lies in accelerating trade and investments opportunities across Africa.

It requires us to come together, partner, improve our skills and collaborate to move our shared vision forward. Along that line, in 2020 at Nazaru, I extended a commitment to African Union Member states and I have since last year been conducting private training sessions for Policy Makers across the continent on Trade and Investment Facilitation. See Official Note Verbale. Private Sector members interested can purchase a version of the e-course here: https://www.nazaru.trade/plans/140844

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“We are now armed with information; we are armed with resources to know that the AfCFTA is a game changer for the continent of Africa. My challenge to everybody is what are you going to do about it? What role are you going to play in advancing trade and investment with and on the continent of Africa?" Toyin Umesiri, CEO Nazaru and Founder Trade with Africa Business Summit

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