Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, has called on African governments to develop their countries’ transport infrastructure for a seamless implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
Osinbajo in a keynote address at the just ended sub-regional summit of Union of African Shippers’ Council (UASC), in Abuja said, for Africa to successfully implement the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), member states of the African Union must as a matter of priority, focus on the development of transport infrastructure.
According to him, presently, trade among countries in Africa is abysmally low due to poor connectivity and lack of adequate transport infrastructure. One of the negative impacts of poor connectivity is the intra-regional trade in Africa which is below 13 per cent.
The vice president, who was represented by Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation continued, that “in line with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union Agenda 2063, we need to focus on growth and sustainable development by providing inclusive social and economic development as well as regional integration through transport connectivity in the sub region.
We strongly believe that modern transport infrastructure will not only link Africa but also substantially reduce transport cost.
He said there is need therefore, for the West and Central African countries to come together and adopt common political, diplomatic and operational strategies that will positively impact on the economy of the sub- region.
Themed, “Unfair shipping surcharges and high local shipping charges on national economy of West and Central African states,” the vice president noted that the process of introduction of these surcharges lacked transparency and were not based on verifiable and available statistics.
The Nigerian vice president lauded the courage of the Union of African Shippers’ Council and Global Shippers’ Forum for beaming its searchlight on the issues of surcharges in Africa, adding that Nigeria will not hesitate to take appropriate measures, including legislation to check these unfair trade practices.