Zimbabwe’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area remains on hold as tariff schedules and rules of origin are yet to be finalized — www.naijnaira.com reports.
According to the Trade Law Centre, Zimbabwe submitted a 90% tariff offer but has failed to align the remaining 10% with agreed rules of origin.
Trudi Hartzenberg, the Centre’s executive director, cautioned that “until we agree on the rules of origin, Zimbabwe cannot trade under AfCFTA.”
The African Continental Free Trade Area, launched in 2018, aims to remove duties on most goods and expand trade across a 1.3 billion population market valued at US$3.4 trillion.
So far, 54 African nations have signed, and 48 have ratified the pact, with Kenya, Ghana, and Rwanda already trading under AfCFTA pilot schemes.
Zimbabwe’s industries, however, face mounting pressure, as a report by the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce revealed that factories are operating at only 52% capacity.
Foreign currency shortages, infrastructure gaps, and weak demand continue to erode competitiveness in the domestic market.
Kudakwashe Matare of ZNCC warned that “cost of doing business, infrastructure, and inefficiencies in institutions such as Zimra” must be fixed before local firms can compete.
Meanwhile, Zimra officials confirmed readiness to roll out AfCFTA once government finalizes the legal framework, leaving Harare trailing more proactive African economies.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
