Pan-African Manufacturers Association (PAMA) President expresses concern over declining intra-African trade

Mansur Ahmed, President of the Pan-African Manufacturers Association (PAMA), has expressed concern over the decline in intra-African trade, which is still below 18% despite the African Union’s launch of Agenda 2063 a decade ago.

On the sidelines of the Intra-African Trade Expo (IATEX) in Cairo, Egypt, the Pan-African Manufacturers Association (PAMA) held its second executive committee meeting and relaunched the PAMA.

To address these challenges, Ahmed emphasized the need to transform all sectors, especially manufacturing. He acknowledged the progress made on Agenda 2063, but emphasized the urgent need for further action, as intra-African trade is still far below its potential.

Ahmed emphasized the importance of manufacturing in the global economy, which accounted for about 70 per cent of global trade and more than 30 per cent of services employment. He emphasized that revamping and expanding manufacturing in Africa was critical to achieving the goals of Agenda 2063.

Recognizing the complexities involved, Ahmed called for sustained efforts by the public and private sectors to effectively implement the African Free Trade Area (AFTA) and realize the aspirations of Agenda 2063. He recognized the critical role played by institutions such as the African Export Authority (Afreximbank). Import Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Finance Corporation (AFC) have played a key role in driving this effort.

Ahmed emphasized the importance of active participation of the private sector, especially African manufacturers, in the cooperation and partnerships needed to promote sectoral integration, expansion and diversification.

In order to capitalize on the progress made so far, Ahmed advocated for the Conference of African Ministers of Manufacturing (CAMM) to play a more significant role in fostering manufacturing growth on the continent. He emphasized that entrepreneurs play a key role in driving global manufacturing activities and that there is a need to promote interaction and knowledge sharing among entrepreneurs to build relationships, mutual trust and partnerships.

Along this line, Ahmed endorsed the call by the African Manufacturing Markets Association (AMMA) for manufacturers to work together to vigorously promote cross-border value chains to ensure that the majority of goods traded on the continent are made in Africa….