On Monday, October 24, 2022, the UPSA Africa Trade Roundtable VI will begin.
The Center for Africa Legal Studies – UPSA Law School is organizing the event, which is titled “Infrastructure, Supply Chain Systems, and AfCFTA,” with funding from Joy Business and ACCA Ghana.
Dr. Daniel McKorley, Chairman and Group CEO of McDan Group of Companies; Bernadette-Nchimunya Muzeta Malilwe, a Procurement Specialist and State Advocate, Attorney General’s Chambers in the Ministry of Justice, Zambia; and Johnson Kilangi, CEO of Lean Africa Consulting Limited, Kenya, will speak at the event.
They will discuss the state of infrastructure supply on the continent in relation to trade, the adjustments that need to be made to infrastructural deficits in the short to medium term, the actual potential impact of supply chain challenges that will be encountered as a result of these deficits, and whether it is time for African governments to intensify private sector participation in the provision of public infrastructure, and how this prospect can be leveraged.
Proponents of AfCFTA claim that the availability of a sufficient infrastructure base is critical for the proper operationalization of a free trade zone, adding that infrastructure facilitates the free movement of goods and services and underlies compliance with trade deal requirements.
On the other hand, the absence of a solid infrastructure foundation distorts supply chain dynamics and weakens market fluidity in any emerging trade regime.
As a result, Africa, and specifically the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), has been reported to have major historical infrastructure gaps, which might potentially hamper the smooth implementation of the AfCFTA at the micro level.
