Ruto declaration critical in Africa
By Editorial.Team, December 13, 2023President William Ruto yesterday made a bold statement that has a strong bearing on Africa’s agenda 2063 which is the master plan for transforming the continent into a global powerhouse of the future.
The President opened the country’s doors to the rest of the world. In his announcment yesterday, the President said Kenya is the “home of humanity.”
Ruto said beginning January next year, Kenya will be a visa-free country. One of the biggest goals of the agenda is “accelerating progress towards continental unity and integration for sustained growth, trade, exchanges of goods, services, free movement of people and capital through establishing a United Africa and fast-tracking economic integration through the Africa Continental Free Trade Area.
This is an ambitious trade pact to form the world’s largest free trade area by creating a single market for goods and services of almost 1.3 billion people across Africa.
It is envisioned that the trade area could have a combined gross domestic product of around $3.4 trillion, but achieving its full potential depends on significant policy reforms and trade facilitation measures across African signatory nations.
It is a commitment for Africa’s renewed fight for an inclusive and sustainable economic growth and development agenda, anchored on people-centered development, gender equality and youth empowerment; changing global contexts such as increased globalisation and ICT revolution.
The idea is that the increased unity of Africa will make it a global power to be reckoned with and capable of rallying support around its own common agenda and emerging development and investment opportunities in areas such as agri-business, infrastructure development, health and education as well as the value addition in African commodities.
But one of the major barriers has always revolved around emotions on migration and opening of boundaries for free, safe, orderly, movement of people and labour across the continent.
Experts have indicated that this will only be possible if African leaders move beyond mere statements and ratify the necessary protocols to actualise the Agenda 2063 vision.
This is why President Ruto needs to walk the talk by ensuring Parliament enacts relevant laws to actualise his land mark declaration.