President Akufo-Addo will on Monday, August 17, 2020, hand over the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat Building to the African Union Commission (AUC) in Accra.
The Secretariat, which will administer the free trade agreement for creating a single market across 55 countries, is located along the Liberia Road in Accra.
Upon this, the 55 countries committing to the programme together have a population of 1.2 billion and a total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about US$ 2.5 trillion. So far, 54 countries have signed the Agreement, with 28 countries ratifying the same.
Ghana was selected by member states to host the AfCFTA Secretariat in July 2019 during the 12th African Union (AU) Extraordinary Summit held in Niamey, Niger.
The Role of the Host Country
As part of the obligations and commitments under the Host Country Agreement, Ghana was required to provide a fully-furnished office complex as the Headquarters for the AfCFTA Secretariat and an official residence for the Secretary-General.
This decision has compelled many to forecast that Ghana’s role in hosting the Secretariat will promote the country as an attractive regional and investment hub in Africa, boost economic activities, and provide job opportunities for Ghanaians.
Delegation
The handing-over ceremony will be attended by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the newly-elected Secretary-General of AfCFTA, the Speaker of Parliament, Chairman of the Council of State, Senior Government Officials and members of the Diplomatic Corps.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has pushed for a limitation on the number of other guests from the Private Sector and other Public Sector Organisations to have been invited to witness the ceremony.
Due to this, the ceremony will be broadcasted live through local and international television networks and social media platforms to satisfy a global audience.
