JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The South African government on Monday established a committee to develop action plans around the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
The committee, which is chaired by Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel, comprises representatives from the government, business and labor sectors.
It will identify the products the country could export to other African countries and what steps needed to be taken to realize such exports.
Patel said the AfCFTA presents an opportunity for new markets for South African goods, balanced by the risk that certain industries may come under threat from imports from across the continent. He said the committee should identify products that are vulnerable and develop measures to strengthen such sectors.
Patel said, "This is an opportunity to do things differently...We need to boost the size of that output and bring more people into the economy."
"We have an opportunity to build on our real strengths as a nation, to turn the relatively modest job creation into a significantly larger effort, with workable and actionable solutions to unblock growth, investment and job creation in the economy," he added.
AfCFTA seeks to remove trade tariffs and allow free movement of goods and people in the continent. It has been ratified by 27 African countries, including South Africa. It is intended to be implemented from July 2020.
