Empowering Youth for the AfCFTA Era: The Pre-AfCFTA Youth Symposium in East Africa
A Quick Overview of the Sensitization Session and Masterclass
There is an upcoming AfCFTA Youth Symposium organized by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat. The symposium will take place in Lusaka, Zambia, between the 21st and 23rd of August.
The symposium's theme is "Young People Shaping their Ideal African Market."
In line with this, the AfCFTA Secretariat partnered with various Regional Economic Communities (RECs) youth organizations to organize pre-symposium sensitization virtual events.
The East African Community (EAC) Youth Ambassadors Platform hosted the pre-AfCFTA Youth Symposium Sensitization Session and Masterclass East Africa on Friday evening.
Here is a short and sweet summary of the primary points of discussion.
Speakers
Wairimu Manyara, the EAC Youth Ambassador, Kenya. She served as the moderator.  Twitter @WairimuManyara.
Mr. John Bosco Kalisa, the Executive Director of the East African Business Council (EABC). Twitter @jbkalisa
Faraji H. Emily, the AfCFTA Youth Advisory Council (ICOYACA) Country Champion for Tanzania. Twitter @FarajiEmily
Moses Kanyesigye, the head of SMEs, Women and Youth at the East African Business Council. Twitter @HwiiriK
John Nyanje, an International Law and International Trade expert and intellectual. Twitter @nyanjewanyanje
#Question 1: What Challenges Are Making It Difficult for Young Africans to Leverage the AfCFTA?
Additional Insights from Mr. Moses Kanyesigye
Moses highlighted that some challenges discussed were identified in a 2020 report (The Futures Report: Making the AfCFTA Work for Women and Youth). As a result, the East African Business Council, plus other stakeholders, had made some progress in providing solutions.
Regarding the finance issue, certain banks have since committed to making it easy for young Africans to access trade financing. The Africa Export-Import Bank (AFREXIM), in particular, has a facility where the bank acts as a guarantor for young Africans looking to secure trade loans.
It eliminates the need for collateral since the bank is the guarantor. The only condition is that after you export and get your profit, you will pay the bank back.
With the issue of capacity building and lack of information sharing, soon after the report was released, the East African Business Council, in conjunction with YouLead Africa and other partners, launched the yearly YouLead Africa Summit to build the capacity of young Africans in all matters AfCFTA.
The summit covers other issues, but the AfCFTA is always one of the top agendas.
Another challenge identified in the report was the need for a close link between the youth and the government. During the 2021 YouLead Summit, the AfCFTA Youth Advisory Council (ICOYACA) was formed to solve this challenge.
ICOYACA now has chapters in most African countries and aims to partner with governments and other stakeholders to drive the AfCFTA agenda.
Mr. Moses concluded that although it is essential to be aware of challenges, it is equally important to keep tabs on the progress so that young Africans can leverage it.
#2 What Exactly is the AfCFTA Women and Youth in Trade Protocol, and What Opportunities Should It Harness or Has It Harnessed?
The Protocol addresses the unique challenges women and youth face when trading on the continent.
Mr. John Bosco noted that it is still being negotiated hence the need for forums like these to inform the process.
Additional Insights from Mr. John Bosco Kalisa
To echo what one of the speakers said about many young Africans producing the same product, Mr. Kalisa noted that producing homogenous products was indeed one of the challenges that had negatively affected intra-regional trade in the East Africa Community.
The AfCFTA Secretariat has noted the same and has therefore urged countries to identify sectors with a comparative advantage and focus on those sectors.
A good example is Kenya which has a comparative advantage in tea, exporting tea to Ghana. Another example is textiles, in which West African countries have a comparative advantage. They can thus use this advantage to export textiles to other African regions.
The AfCFTA has also set up the Trade Observatory that allows budding exporters to find the products that will likely give them a comparative advantage depending on the region.
However, there is still a need for a more comprehensive portal that identifies which goods have a comparative advantage in the various regions.
Parting Shots from The Speakers
Mr. Nyanje wa Nyanje
Africa only stores 1% of data, yet data is crucial to successful cross-border trade. There is a data gap and a need to focus on cross-border data transfer.
Beyond that, Mr. Nyanje made a heartfelt plea for governments to go above and beyond to provide affordable capital.
“If providing affordable capital means urging countries to set aside a certain percentage of defense capital, then the Protocol should do it," he concluded.
Mr. John Bosco Kalisa
This is the time for the youth. Please take advantage of it. You are in the center of the AfCFTA, so take a driving seat.
He also urged the youth to develop strategies to share trade information.
I have visited several banks that tell me they have funds for trade financing, but because many young people do not share such information, the youths cannot access these funds.
Mr. Faraji H. Emily
"As young people, please take the initiative. Do not assume that the Protocol will automatically benefit you because it exists. You have to do your part."
PS. To learn more about the AfCFTA, please check out our #AfCFTA series
AfCFTA Friday #1: What is the AfCFTA and Why Does It Matter?
AfCFTA Friday #2: What are the opportunities contained in the AfCFTA
AfCFTA Friday #3: How the AfCFTA can contribute to climate change efforts in Africa
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