African free trade tariff rules should be completed by July-official

01/11/2021

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Reuters Staff

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Members of Africa’s new free trade area should complete their tariff reduction schedules and finalise essential rules of origin by July, a senior official with the bloc’s secretariat said on Monday.

African countries began officially trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on Jan. 1, after months of delays caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.

Experts, however, say full implementation of the deal will likely take years.

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