22 February 2024 12:00

On 20–21 February, with the support of Azerbaijan, a training program on the implementation of the Agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area and the realization of Africa’s trade and economic integration was organized in a hybrid format at the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

More than 100 ambassadors representing African countries, high-ranking diplomats, and representatives of relevant state institutions participated in the training.

The main objective of the program, implemented with the support of the Azerbaijan International Development Agency (AIDA) operating under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and organized by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) affiliated with the African Union, as well as the African Union Commission, was to equip participants with relevant knowledge and skills to accelerate the implementation of the Agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Speaking at the official opening ceremony of the training program, the African Union Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals, Albert M. Muchanga, the Executive Secretary of ACBF, Mamadou Biteye, the representative of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Stephen Karingi, as well as the participants of the program emphasized the importance of the training and expressed their gratitude to the Republic of Azerbaijan for the support provided, including for the implementation of Decision No. 1160 dated 3 February 2022 of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the African Union.

In his opening remarks, the Head of AIDA, Elmeddin Mehdiyev, noted that the Republic of Azerbaijan attaches special importance to the development of cooperation relations and friendly ties with African states and the African Union, and supports the activities carried out by African countries to ensure their sustainable development. In this context, it was emphasized that Azerbaijan, particularly during its chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement, as well as during the pandemic period, provided humanitarian and development assistance to African countries, and that 53 out of 54 African countries have benefited from Azerbaijan’s assistance in various years.

The media outlets of Ethiopia, which hosts the African Union Commission, showed great interest in the event; in particular, the FANA television channel broadcast the opening ceremony live and highlighted Azerbaijan’s support.

Within the framework of the program, upon the invitation of the organizers, Hasan Aliyev, a specialist on free trade zones of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, also participated as a trainer.

At the closing ceremony of the training, the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, Ruslan Nasibov, expressed confidence that the implemented program would be useful in terms of accelerating the implementation of the free trade agreement aimed at the unity, solidarity, and development of the African continent. It was noted that Azerbaijan consistently supports the progress of the African continent and will continue to contribute to international efforts aimed at the implementation of the 2030 and 2063 agendas within this framework.

It should be noted that the Agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area was signed in 2018 and entered into force in May 2019. To date, all African countries except one have signed the Agreement, and it has already been ratified by 46 countries. The Agreement, which aims to develop intra-African trade, targets the establishment of a large market covering 1.2 billion people on the African continent.