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PH:DR: Solutions to allow ECOWAS and Mali to fully benefit from the ZLECAF.
On Saturday, May 27, 2023, the National Council of Employers of Mali hosted a high-level panel on the African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECAF) to discuss the challenges faced by member countries.
This initiative, initiated by the Promotion Drissa Keita in partnership with the Resident Representation of ECOWAS in Mali, is part of the commemoration of Africa Day and the 48th anniversary of ECOWAS celebrated on May 28. With the aim of contributing to the preparation of all the actors involved in the implementation of this continental-scale economic integration mechanism, the Drissa Keita Promotion organized this event to allow the population and private sector actors to better understand the current situation of this integration mechanism, its importance and its difficulties.
During this event, the speakers stressed the need to further involve the private sector in the actions carried out by the members of the organization, to facilitate the free movement of populations across borders and to implement related policies and strategies, among others.
Currently, 46 of the 54 African countries have signed and ratified the agreement establishing ZLECAF, including Mali in 2018.
ZLECAF, created during the extraordinary summit of the African Union in Kigali in 2018, aims to boost intra-African trade and strengthen the economic resilience of the continent.
ECOWAS and its Member States must prepare and equip themselves with the necessary tools to fully benefit from this continental initiative. The purpose of this meeting was to take stock of the preparation of ECOWAS and its Member States for better participation in the ZLECAF, to assess the issues and challenges of this continental mechanism for the region and the Member States, in particular Mali, and to propose solutions to take advantage of it.
The Drissa Keita Promotion, engaged for many years in the promotion of economic science and management science in Mali, intends to use its experience to raise awareness and prepare the main actors concerned for the implementation of the ZLECAF in the ECOWAS region. , by drawing up an inventory of the preparation of ECOWAS and Malian economic operators, by identifying the challenges and issues related to this mechanism, and by proposing solutions to enable ECOWAS and Mali to fully benefit from the ZLECAF.
