The African Union (AU) has launched negotiations on the continental Free Trade Area in efforts to enhance economic activities on the continent.
President Prof Peter Mutharika said this Tuesday upon his arrival at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe from a trade summit in Egypt and the 25th AU Summit in South Africa.
He said the continental Free Trade Area will result in huge market and that Malawians should take advantage of the market by producing quality goods and work together in improving the economy.
Malawi’s leader said there was need for people in the country to unite towards building the country.\
He adding that, “this was extremely important, one of the most important meetings was held in the African Union in which we had meetings over 26 countries of Common Market for Eastern Africa (COMESA), Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the East Africa Community (EAC).”
President Mutharika further said the negotiations for the continental free trade were launched in South Africa among 41 member states, 26 Southern African and 15 Eastern African.
Mutharika said in two years time the country will have markets for the whole continent whereby goods will be free to travel from one country to another.
“If we are to take advantage of this market it means we should be in a position to produce goods for sale, and that’s also why am pushing for foreign investors to come in the country,” said the President.
This AU conference will be remembered by the excitment President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan generated, defying a South African judge’s effort to prevent his departure on the basis of an International Criminal Court (ICC) order for his arrest.
Mugabe then spoke about his well-known contempt for the International Criminal Court, basically stating that he would like ICC out of Africa. South Africa insisted that Bashir enjoyed diplomatic immunity as an AU summit participant.
Mugabe also made fun of his falling at the last AU conference held in Ethiopia. He jokingly as he made his exit from the stage, paused, hovering a foot tantalizingly over the stairs.
“Do you want me to fall here?” he asked the gathered media swarm.
He did not.
