COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area Agreement to Come Into Force on July 25, 2024
The COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) Agreement will officially come into force today, following the attainment of the required threshold of ratifications. At least 14 out of the 29 Member/Partner States were needed to deposit their Instruments of Ratification for the Agreement to take effect.
The milestone was reached with the depositing of the Instrument of Ratification by the Republic of Angola on June 25, 2024, bringing the total number of ratifications to 14. This announcement was made during the 37th Tripartite Task Force Meeting held on July 20, 2024, on the sidelines of the 6th African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in Accra, Ghana.
The meeting was attended by the CEOs of the three Regional Economic Communities (RECs): H.E. Elias Mpedi Magosi, Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Chairperson of the Tripartite Task Force; H.E. Veronica Nduva, Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC); and H.E. Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, Secretary General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
H.E. Magosi, the Executive Secretary of SADC and current Chairman of the Tripartite Task Force, stated that the Member/Partner States that have deposited their Instruments of Ratification include Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Egypt, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
These countries accounted for 75% of the Tripartite GDP in 2022. He also noted that on June 20, 2024, the Republic of Djibouti notified the COMESA Secretariat of its ratification of the Agreement.
“The objective of establishing the COMESA-EAC-SADC FTA was to enhance market access, address the issue of multiple memberships, and further the objectives of cooperation, harmonisation, and coordination of policies among the three Regional Economic Communities (RECs),” said H.E. Magosi.
The Tripartite Member/Partner States represent 53% of the African Union’s membership, more than 60% of continental GDP ($1.88 trillion), and a combined population of 800 million.
H.E. Veronica Nduva, Secretary General of the EAC, highlighted the need to consolidate the Tripartite FTA through effective implementation to harness its benefits. She emphasized that reaching the required ratification threshold, developing implementation modalities, and progressing on the Rules of Origin and tariff offers, demonstrate the commitment of the Member/Partner States.
“The United Republic of Tanzania is in the process of ratifying the Agreement, while the Republic of South Sudan has begun the process of signing and ratifying the Agreement,” H.E. Nduva added.
H.E. Chileshe Kapwepwe, Secretary General of COMESA, expressed appreciation for achieving the necessary ratifications and urged the Tripartite RECs to lead work under their respective pillars to avoid duplication of efforts. COMESA will lead the Market Integration Pillar, SADC the Industrialisation Pillar, and EAC the Infrastructure Pillar.
Progress has been made with the online Non-Tariff Barrier (NTBs) reporting and elimination mechanism being implemented by 25 Tripartite Member/Partner States. The meeting concluded with an agreement on a roadmap for the TFTA’s official launch at the 4th Tripartite Summit of Heads of State and Government, scheduled for later this year.
Source: SADC
