Trade Ministers of the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) and the East African Community (EAC) have agreed to conclude the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) negotiations before the end of the year.
Speaking on behalf of Sacu at the 11th TFTA bilateral meeting in Johannesburg last week, Minister of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies, underscored the importance of the negotiations providing new markets in important sectors such as automobiles, beef, wines and dairy products amongst others. He pointed out that that the EAC countries produced “high quality products” such as coffee, cut flowers and tea, amongst others.
“The TFTA presents South Africa with an opportunity to further diversify its export base,” said Davies.
The TFTA agreement has, to date, been signed by 20 countries.
