Firms to reap big from free trade -AfDB

Undated photo of Akinwumi Adesina, the President of Africa Development. [File, Standard] Bank

Africa’s free-trade pact will help shift the continent away from its over-reliance on volatile commodity exports and boost manufacturing, according to the African Development Bankm (AfDB).

Sectors where African products already have a competitive advantage have the most to gain from the deal that joins the markets of more than 50 countries, making it the largest free-trade zone in the world, AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina (pictured) said in an interview in Niger’s capital, Niamey.