The Sunday News
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
BUSINESSES have been urged to give gender mainstreaming a practical meaning and an opportunity to women and youths as they implement the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
In an online presentation on linkages between AfCFTA and national development policies and strategies on Thursday, African Union Economic Commission trade policy officer, Mr Batanai Chikwene said businesses in Zimbabwe should link the National Development Strategy 1 (2021-2025) principles with the AfCFTA.
“From the NDS1 the pillar of youth, gender, sports and culture speaks to opportunities for youths and women.
Businesses should make sure that they aspire to fulfill this pillar making sure that the AfCFTA gives gender mainstreaming a practical meaning. It should not just be talking about the strategy being implemented through gender mainstreaming but then look at what can be done to empower women so that they are able to take advantage of the AfCFTA,” said Mr Chikwene.
He said businesses should also be able to ensure that the youths become part of the AfCFTA discussion and then eventually take advantage of the opportunities that the agreement offers.Mr Chikwene said infrastructure and utilities was another key pillar for the AfCFTA.
“There is a need for road networks that facilitate trade first within the country then within the region. Look at the railway lines and nearest ports we do we have access to. Also is there enough energy and water to power the industries and to be used by whoever wants to use these for production,” he said.
He said infrastructure and utilities development was important for trade as logistics were the fundamental backbone of industrialising a country. Mr Chikwene said in terms of the human capital development and innovation, this pillar requires businesses to have skills to compete in terms of the way they manage their production, the economy and everything to do with their interaction with third countries.
He said whether in terms of exports or imports, the general labour that runs the economy needed to be interrogated and how advanced the country was in terms of technology.
“Look at how the ecosystem of innovation runs within the country and the intellectual property rights regime as well. What all businesses have to do is to link the AfCFTA with the aspirations already in the NDS1.”
Mr Chikwene said the digital economy of Zimbabwe has to show how internet can be used as an export channel, opportunities available for SMEs and big businesses as well.
He said for consideration businesses had to develop online payment platform for traders across the borders, look into regional and global value chains and invest in ICTs.
Mr Chikwene said devolution was another key pillar for provincial level opportunities in the AfCFTA.
“On devolution we need to consider how the country is thinking about devolving powers to provinces. Each province should start looking at itself as an economic entity and look at the AfCFTA as an instrument it can use to further economic opportunities within the province,” said Mr Chikwene.
He said individuals and businesses in provinces should look at what they are good at producing and can offer for the AfCFTA so that they can access various opportunities across the country and the region. Mr Chikwene said each province was unique and could offer various services from mining, tourism and agriculture among other things.
“Once you have identified these develop a strategy on how you can utilise these services for the AfCFTA. Individuals and businesses operating in these devolved clusters can make big contributions.”
He highlighted that there were other various opportunities for businesses in housing delivery, food and nutrition security, social protection, economic growth and stability, environmental protection, climate resilience and natural resources management.
“There are many more other pillars and all these also speak to the Government’s vision 2030 to create an upper middle-class economy. These policies can effectively be linked to the AfCFTA as the country works on developing its economy and growing its GDP,” he said.
Mr Chikwene encouraged businesses to take advantage of opportunities presented to by the trade agreement in a training workshop on AfCFTA, conducted by the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) in conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
AfCFTA is an ambitious undertaking that brings together 1,3 billion people in 55 African countries to create the world’s largest free trade area as measured by the number of participating Member States. On final conclusion and implementation, its objective is the creation of an integrated market for the trade in goods and services and the free movement of people and capital.
