Algeria, Nigeria will ensure success of AfCFTA, says minister

Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabri Boukadoum has stressed the need for his country and Nigeria to work together to ensure the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Boukadoum, who was in Abuja on official visit where he met with his Nigerian counterpart and other top government officials, stated this in an interview with The Nation.

The minister said both countries are big players in the continent and Nigeria can never be ignored in the scheme of things.

Speaking on the possibility of the January 2021 commencement date of the AfCFTA and given the COVID impact, Boukadoum said the date is sacrosanct as the continent is eager for it to begin despite the hiccups.

He said: “It is feasible but we have to start. We already have it in ECOWAS and now you have the bigger picture in Africa. Whenever you take off the tariff, you will help trade improvement and the wealth of every citizen because at the end of the day, every citizen will benefit from this. We have to start despite all difficulties. This is the first step and by God’s grace, in the future, we will overcome. You can see the example of Europe, when they started, whatever issues they had between themselves and the relationship with the whole world, they have improved the wealth of the Europeans. This is what we want to do in Africa.”

On the fear of dumping goods within the trade area by non-African countries, the minister said: “When we say Free Trade Area, we mean African products. Neither Nigeria nor Algeria will accept that others will come and sell their products to us. There is a level of integration of the products. Products from Algeria coming into Nigeria have to be at least 40%-50% Algerian and we do have them already and it is the case in Nigeria. I think we have no problem with Nigeria.

“There are other countries still depending on outside African countries that could use this platform to sell more. That’s the goal of the Free Trade Area. It is to improve the trade between Africa countries, to help boost the production of goods. We are trying to take off all the barriers and obstacles to trade in the continent. This is the main work, but there are many people working on that.”

On the importance of his visit to Algeria-Nigeria bilateral relations, he said: “First, it is a natural and normal way of working and we need to talk face-to-face and from time-to-time. We have the best relationship in Africa – Nigeria and Algeria. We need to rebuild and strengthen this brotherhoodness. We need to talk and work together. There are issues we cannot face alone, for example, Covid-19. No one can do it alone, not even the United States (U.S.). Nigeria is important in ECOWAS and Africa. So, we cannot imagine there will be any going forward without listening to Nigeria and working together. I told you that we have our own position in Northern Africa. We have this relationship with Nigeria for so many years. It is not new. The fact that Covid-19 has prevented us from seeing each other, we have decided with Geoffrey to move on to discuss. We need Nigeria. Africa needs Nigeria because it is the giant of Africa. We have to listen to Nigeria.”

On strengthening bilateral relations between both countries, Boukadoum said: “The trade level between both countries is a shame. So, we need to improve on that. There are so many things in Nigeria that are produced by Algeria and vice versa. We need to put business minds together. We need business counsel to be activated between Algeria and Nigeria. The politicians are supposed to help and we put all the operators together and create the best conditions. If there are bureaucracy and obstacles, we need to erase them. But then afterwards, it is up to the people who are dealing with the real things like the economy and the trade to show the advantages.”