AU-CFTA Trade-in-Services Negotiations workshop underway in Senegal

The Training Workshop on Trade-in-Services Negotiations for AU-CFTA is underway this week in Dakar, Senegal, to help train African Union (AU) services negotiators so they can handle trade-in-services transactions, especially Africa's Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) negotiations on services that began in June.

Senegal Minister of Trade Oumar Sarr gave the opening address at the event, which began on Monday and runs through Friday. Sarr said the workshops are important because the growth of the continent depends on Africa's nations being able to process and distribute their raw materials.

The aim of the workshop is to train service providers in trade negotiations, including CFTA negotiations.

AU Trade Policy Officer Batanai Chikwene said there was tremendous potential for growth in Africa's service sector.

“Raising awareness to overcome this 'perception gap' in Africa is critical at the continental level, as well as at the sub-regional and national levels, where the incorporation of service-sector development into mainstream economic planning and development priorities remains lagging,” Chikwene said. “The CFTA seeks to bring the dreams of our fore-leaders as enshrined in the Abuja Treaty to have a single African market with movement of goods, services, capital and persons.”