Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey passionately advocated for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in front of an audience of business leaders and high-ranking officials, including two southern African Presidents and their cabinets.

Speaking at the Sixth Swakopmund International Trade Expo (SWAiTEX), she emphasised the importance of collective efforts to create an efficient market in trade, services, job creation, and prosperity for all Africans.

“It is our responsibility as leaders in government, industry, finance, SMEs, startups, regulation, and civil society to harness our collective resources and capabilities towards an efficient market in trade and services, job creation, and prosperity for all Africans,” Ms Botchwey declared.

The event in Swakopmund, 360km west of Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, was attended by Presidents Nangolo Mbumba of Namibia and Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, whose delegation included his Vice President Slumber Tsogwane and, as he stated, “half of my cabinet because we want to trade; we want to do serious business.”

Ms Botchwey highlighted the AfCFTA as a beacon of hope for Africa’s economic resurgence, echoing the sentiments of AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene.

Adorned in an African-print attire and a hand-woven kente shawl, she stressed the importance of making “African products our preferred products” while fostering regional and continental partnerships.

With a free trade area connecting 1.3 billion people across 55 countries and a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion, the AfCFTA, headquartered in Ghana, promises immense new markets, accelerated industrialization, and fresh investment opportunities.

The expo’s theme, “Efficient Connectivity and Resource Beneficiation for Sustainable Growth in Africa,” underscored these aspirations.

Acknowledging the challenging headwinds faced by African economies, including debt, energy, food security, cost of living, unemployment, and climate crises, Ms Botchwey underscored the transformative potential of the AfCFTA to build resilient economies.

She praised Namibia for joining the AfCFTA-Guided Trade Initiative alongside Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, and Cameroon, commending their commitment to meaningful intra-African trade.

The Guided Trade Initiative, established in 2022, aims to initiate trade among interested parties who have met the minimum threshold for trading under the AfCFTA, testing the agreement’s capacity and identifying areas for improvement.

Additionally, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in April 2023 between the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre and the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board to facilitate investment and trade flows under the AfCFTA.

Ms Botchwey, a candidate for Commonwealth Secretary-General, has prioritized trade and investment in her vision.

She urged developing countries with overlapping memberships in multilateral institutions to work together strategically to change their marginalised status in global trade and governance.