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Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
Legislators should acquaint themselves with details and provisions of treaties and agreements entered into by Government before ratifying or domesticating them into law, Speaker of the National Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda has said.

Adv Mudenda said this while opening a two-day workshop for legislators in the Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Budget, Finance and Economic Development committees on the Tripartite Free Trade Area for Sadc, the Common Market for East and Southern Africa and the East African Community.

The meeting is being held with support of the Southern Africa Parliamentary Support Trust.
“Quiet often I have seen a rush in the approval of these instruments and I have asked myself whether the honourable members really understand what they are approving,” said Adv Mudenda.

“Because if you don’t understand what you are approving, then you cannot be the apostle for the driving of domestication of that protocol because you don’t understand it and more importantly the implementation by way of oversight responsibility, your representation and obviously how they impact on the various pieces of legislation.”

Adv Mudenda said the TFTA agreement envisaged economic growth in member countries through trade.
“The three main pillars of the tripartite strategy, as contained in the vision and strategy document are market, integration, infrastructure development and industrial development,” he said.

“The strategy is designed to achieve economic growth through the reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade. This enhancement of trade facilitation will improve the flow of goods and services along regional transport corridors by lowering transit times and the cost of trading.”
Adv Mudenda said the strategy also encompassed joint planning and implementation of infrastructure programmes such as road, rail, border posts and seaports, as well as air transport, ICTs, energy and free movement of persons.

“To that extent, the supreme objective of TFTA is to contribute the broader objectives of the AU that is accelerating economic integration of the continent and achieving sustainable economic development,” he said.
Adv Mudenda said it was necessary for Zimbabwe to boost its growth to benefit from the TFTA.

“To benefit from the TFTA, Zimbabwe needs to boost its industrial growth, export competitiveness and comparative advantage by resolving many institutional and policy rigidities,” he said.

Zimbabwe is yet to ratify the TFTA which is expected to be presented in Parliament soon.
The Sadc-Comesa-EAC TFTA is made up of 27 countries, with 24 having signed the agreement while four have ratified it.
At least 14 countries have to ratify the agreement before it is operationalised.