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George Maponga in MIDRAND, South Africa

The Pan African Parliament (PAP) has resolved to take the lead in promoting African countries to shift from export of cheap raw materials to value-added goods that will earn the continent more income and uplift livelihoods on the continent.

This comes as the continental legislative body ups the ante on the creation of an African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Value-addition of raw materials to boost income from exports loomed large at the AfCFTA workshop held at the seat of PAP in Midrand, which ended yesterday, with firm resolutions that seek to pivot African countries toward engendering prosperity for the continent’s people through allowing free movement of people and goods.

PAP President Chief Fortune Charumbira on Monday opened the two-day workshop exhorting African countries to embrace the AfCFTA, saying its roll-out would extricate over 50 million African citizens from outright poverty.

The continental legislative body, which is holding the Second Ordinary Session of the 6th parliament from May 15 to June 2 adopted a caste of resolutions predicated on the roll-out of the AfCFTA which among other things, seeks to promote intra-African trade that is still appallingly on the south side despite vast potential to galvanise economic growth across arguably the world’s least developed continent.

PAP’s committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration Matters sponsored the resolutions following a panel discussion that sought to make the continental legislative body an enabler of free trade on the continent by coming up with strategies towards accelerating the implementation of the AfCFTA.

The move by PAP is in sync with the AU Theme of the Year which has dubbed 2023 as the year for,“Acceleration of AfCFTA Implementation.’’

AU’s Agenda 2063 also envisions Africa as a continent where the free movement of people, capital, goods and services will significantly increase trade and investments amongst African countries and improve the continent’s position in global trade.

Among the resolutions adopted by PAP at the end of the AfCFTA workshop is to, “establish a legislative framework and institutional mechanism to accelerate the domestication and implementation of the Agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA.’’

PAP also resolved to engage in robust advocacy for AU member states to ratify the AfCFTA.

Another resolution was to establish a platform to articulate coherent guidelines for the “implementation of the operational instruments that will govern African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) such as Pan-African Payments and Settlements System (PAPSS) and adjustment Facility to respond to the challenges of short-term negative impact of the liberalisation process on State Parties’ fiscal capacities.’’

PAP also adopted a resolution to, “sensitize Member States on the benefits of accelerating the implementation of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), emphasise the long-term recovery and growth in member states, the impact on deeper integration in boosting incomes, increasing job creation and expedite investments.’’

While the continental legislative body pledged to facilitate youth, women and people with disabilities’ access to trade information, services, affordable finance and market opportunities, a resolution to, “establish institutional mechanisms in Member States on value addition and encourage the development of an integrated and complementary African value chains to support the commitment to transform Africa from a raw materials exporter to a producer of market-competitive value added products,’’ was also adopted.

The new PAP under Chief Charumbira has vowed to add dynamism, renew and reinvigorate the continental legislative body and pivot it to holistically address nagging problems choking Africa’s development where the majority of people still live in extreme poverty despite vast natural endowments on the continent.