LUSAKA, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Zambia needs productive alliances and necessary capabilities so that its industries can compete effectively as the nation signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement on Sunday, said a civil society body expert on Monday.
Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Sunday signed the free trade agreement on the sidelines of the 32nd Africa Union (AU) summit in Ethiopia and indicated that the government will now work towards necessary processes required to ratify the agreement.
While commending the government for the move, Chenai Mukumba, Coordinator of the Consumer Unity and Trust Society, said it was important for the government to build productive alliances and the necessary capabilities for industries to take advantage of emerging opportunities while minimizing negative impact such as job losses.
"There is no doubt that implementation of the AfCFTA will create both opportunities and challenges. Therefore, the onus is on participating countries to take advantage of emerging opportunities while minimizing the cost of trade openness," she said.
She however said the signing of the agreement was an indication that Zambia has concluded its internal consultations.
Last year, Zambia did not sign the agreement and opted to only sign the Kigali Declaration, which was a declaratory message reflective of positive political will to launch the free trade agreement as the government needed to conduct internal consultations.
