By Asmau Ahmad
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has the potential to build Africa’s capacity to manufacture and change the narrative of continent’s economy.
President of the association, Mansur Ahmed said the AfCFTA will be able to give Africa a stronger voice and positioning in the global economy as time goes on.
He spoke at the 2021 edition of the MAN Reporter of the year Award Ceremony in Lagos, where the association recognised the exceptional performance of some journalists in the coverage of its activities in 2020.
Ahmed said he was confident that there would be a tremendous opportunity for growth and development for each and everyone, if the countries that signed the agreement were willing to come together to make it a success.
He, however, expressed concern over the issue of dumping, which he said could be tackled by strong political will of the government.
“A possible challenge that stares us in the face is the issue of dumping. The dumping issue, frankly, is a matter of political will. Do our governments and political leaders have the political will to agree on those things that we have to do?
“For instance, to ensure that we do not allow dumping to take place, there is need to ensure that all countries operate based on the rule of origin that has been agreed. But the difference is that while some countries will ensure that these regulations are complied with, others unfortunately will not do so. This calls for effective monitoring mechanism to be put in place to ensure that all countries do the right thing,” he said.
The MAN president commended the Federal Government for reopening the land borders ahead of the take off of the AfCFTA on January 1, 2021.
He reiterated MAN’s commitment to strengthening its relationship with the media, with the confidence of attaining more milestones through their resolute support in publicising the association’s activities and programmes.
“Indeed, year 2020 was quite challenging partly due to some perennial issues bedeviling the sector and others thrown up by COVID-19 pandemic and the hijacked EndSARS demonstration which placed immense pressure on the social and economic structures of the economy.
“As a Business Membership Organisation, we certainly hold the fourth estate of the realm in high esteem owing to the intrinsic role you play as the conscience of society,” he said.
