UNECA United Nations Economic Commission for Afr : Experts to review draft free trade agreement

Côte d'Ivoire, 29 January 2016 (ECA) - An expert group comprising representatives of the eight regional economic communities the African Union Commission, the Economic Commission for African (ECA), the African Development Bank and selected academic specialists will hold a meeting in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, on 2-3 February to review the structure and content of a draft continental free trade agreement (CFTA) for the consideration of the CFTA task force and as an input to the CFTA negotiation process. The meeting is expected to generate:

· A proposed outline of the continental free trade agreement
· A detailed plan and timeline for the development of a draft agreement
· Terms of reference for the preparation of sections of a draft agreement
· Agreed division of responsibilities for preparing sections of a draft agreement

The expert group meeting is being jointly organized by the Department of Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission and the African Trade Policy Centre of ECA, and will be hosted by the NEPAD, Regional Integration and Trade Department of the African Development Bank.

Issued by:

Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]