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ACCRA, GHANA | THE INDEPENDENT | The COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) Agreement, is now due to come into force on Thursday following the attainment of the required number of ratifying member countries.
The treaty states that for the Agreement to take effect, at least 14 out of the 29 States must have deposited their Instruments of Ratification.
At the 37th Tripartite Task Force Meeting just ended in Accra, Ghana it was revealed that Angola became the 14th member state to deposit her Instruments of Ratification on June 25, 2024.
During the meeting, Elias Mpedi Magosi, the Executive Secretary of SADC and current Chairman of the Tripartite Task Force, said that Angola’s action now paves the way for the implementation of the Agreement.
Magosi said that other countries that have completed the process include Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Others are Botswana, Burundi, Egypt, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, and South Africa, together accounting for 75 percent of the GDP of the Tripartite as of 2022.
Magosi also informed the meeting that on June 20, the Republic of Djibouti notified the COMESA Secretariat that it had ratified the Agreement.
The Tripartite Summit of Heads of State and Government decided on October 22, 2008, to establish a Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) among the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
“The objective of establishing the COMESA-EAC-SADC FTA was to enhance market access, address the issue of multiple memberships, and further the objectives of cooperation, harmonization, and coordination of policies among the three Regional Economic Communities (RECs),” he said.
The 29 Tripartite Member/Partner States represent 53 percent of the African Union’s membership, more than 60 percent of continental GDP (1.88 trillion dollars), and a combined population of 800 million.
The Sad Executive Secretary urged also the Member/Partner States to mobilize resources and support the implementation interventions, including setting up the necessary implementation structures.
The Tripartite framework is based on three pillars: Market Integration, which involves trade liberalization through the creation of a Free Trade Area and arrangements for the movement of business persons; and Infrastructure Development, which focuses on enhancing connectivity and reducing business costs.
The third pillar is Industrial Development, which aims to create a supportive environment by improving regulatory and legal frameworks, adding value, diversifying industries, increasing productivity and competitiveness, and implementing programs for structural change.
On her part, the EAC Secretary General, Veronica Nduva, highlighted the need to consolidate the Tripartite FTA through the Agreement’s implementation, to harness potential benefits, preserve gains, and strengthen the participation of Member/Partner States in the AfCFTA.
“The fact that we have reached the required ratification threshold of 14 ratifications, developed modalities for implementing the Tripartite Agreement, finalized most aspects of the Rules of Origin, continued with engagements on tariff offers, and developed the Tripartite Protocol on Competition Policy demonstrates that the Member/Partner States are committed to the process,” she said.
Nduva reaffirmed the EAC’s commitment to continue playing its part towards operationalizing the Tripartite Agreement, and that she was continuously engaging EAC Partner States that are yet to ratify the TFTA Agreement.
“The United Republic of Tanzania reported that it was in the process of ratifying the Agreement, while the Republic of South Sudan reported that it had begun the process of signing and ratifying the Agreement,” she added.
Chileshe Kapwepwe, the Secretary-General of COMESA, expressed appreciation for the efforts that have achieved the required number of ratifications for the Tripartite FTA.
“To support the AfCFTA, we must ensure the Tripartite works effectively. I urge the Tripartite RECs to lead the work under their respective pillars to avoid duplication of efforts,” said Kapwepwe.
COMESA Secretariat is leading the Market Integration Pillar, and SADC is leading the Industrialization Pillar while the EAC Secretariat was assigned to lead the Infrastructure Pillar.
Progress has been made with the online Non-Tariff Barrier (NTB) reporting and elimination mechanism being under implementation by 25 Tripartite Member/Partner States.
The meeting agreed on a roadmap for launching the TFTA’s entry into force at the 4th Tripartite Summit of Heads of State and Government, planned for later towards the end of the year.
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