RCS Ottawa
Apr 16, 20181 min
A deal which allows Commonwealth citizens and businesspersons to travel, trade and invest across Africa is good for member states. That’s according to Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, who was speaking with Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta during her first official visit to the country.
The president was among 44 leaders who signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) protocol in Kigali, Rwanda, on Wednesday. AfCFTA paves the way for the African region to become one of the world’s largest trading blocs.
“Nineteen members of the African Union are part of the Commonwealth family,” Secretary-General Scotland said. “This protocol is ground-breaking news for them because our research suggests that when Commonwealth countries trade with one another, it is 19 per cent cheaper and this is the Commonwealth Advantage.