The African Union (AU) has made it clear that it intends to start trading under the newly ratified African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by July next year. Willie Shumba, a senior customs expert and adviser with the African Union Commission (AUC), said the movement of goods made in Africa from Cape to Cairo without duty payments would be a reality sooner rather than later. “This flagship project was only launched in March last year and trading is expected to start in July next year,” he said at a conference in Cape Town. Describing the AfCFTA as a continental success developed by Africans for Africa, he said it was not a solution from elsewhere in the world made to fit locally. “This free trade area is exactly what African countries need to ensure sustained economic growth to meet their development objectives,” he said. “The AfCFTA will boost intra-African trade significantly by providing a comprehensive and mutually beneficial trade agreement for all member states. It will cover trade in goods and services.” With the first phase of the agreement already finalised, including the establishment and ratification of the AfCFTA, the protocol on trade in goods, the protocol on trade in services, and the rules and procedures for settlement of disputes, a lot had been achieved in an extremely short time, said Shumba. “Phase 2, which deals with competition and intellectual property rights, is still under way,” he said. The rules of origin are also still in the making while tariff offers need to be finalised and published along with the trade laws. Considering that only one of the 55 countries in Africa has not signed the agreement, the commitment to free trade is clearly apparent. “Eritrea is the only non-signatory and we are at present in discussion with the country,” he said. “All of the countries that have signed have committed to making sure their domestic laws are aligned with this internationally binding agreement. A total of 27 of the 54 signatories have indicated they have already done so. This is unprecedented on this continent. These countries have undertaken that their domestic laws will be changed to allow for duty-free trade.” Shumba said there was no reason why it could not be operational by July next year. “The rules of origin are at least 90% complete at this stage.” He said work was ongoing in the development of a continental online mechanism for monitoring, reporting and eliminating non-tariff barriers in Africa. “All of the countries have been given 12 months’ leeway to make this agreement operational within their domestic environment. We are confident that we will be trading duty free come July 2020.”