Friday 12/December/2025 – 10:22 AM
Engineer Hassan Al-Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, participated in the activities of the “African Continental Free Trade Area Business Forum,” which was held in the city of Marrakesh in the Kingdom of Morocco, in the presence of Wamkele Minni, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, and a number of trade ministers of African countries.
African Continental Free Trade Agreement
And review Minister In his speech – Egypt’s visions and priorities for the next stage to enhance the path of economic integration in the continent, stressing the importance of this event in supporting continental efforts towards implementing the agreement on the ground.
Al-Khatib stressed that the African continent has faced major economic and development challenges in recent years, but these challenges have revealed broad opportunities for growth, explaining that seizing these opportunities requires moving from the negotiation stage to the actual implementation of the agreement in order to achieve tangible results in trade, production, and providing job opportunities within the continent.
The minister pointed out that the seventeenth Trade Ministers Council meeting hosted by Cairo represented a pivotal step, as it reaffirmed two basic principles: ensuring that no African country is left behind, and achieving integration in a way that takes into account the balance between the capabilities of the most advanced countries and the least developed countries.
Al-Khatib explained that the meeting witnessed qualitative technical progress, as important breakthroughs were achieved in the rules of origin for the textile and clothing sectors, and the automotive sector, as they are among the basic engines for building competitive regional value chains. He also pointed out the completion of the intellectual property rights annex, which represents an essential step towards a modern regulatory framework that supports innovation and enhances the business environment in various parts of the continent.
The Minister pointed out that the supplementary ministerial meeting held on October 20, 2025 contributed to enhancing the implementation momentum of the agreement, as additional tracks were completed and practical steps were developed to support the full operation of the tariff schedules, facilitating the movement of goods within the continent and enhancing economic integration in accordance with the objectives of the Africa 2063 Agenda.
Al-Khatib pointed out that the African Continental Free Trade Agreement represents a huge economic framework that brings together more than 1.4 billion people and a gross domestic product exceeding 3.4 trillion dollars, stressing that the true value of this framework is achieved when these capabilities are transformed into actual results in production, trade and investment.
The Minister stressed the importance of proceeding with a set of priority measures, starting with strengthening African supply chains through the gradual liberalization of customs tariffs in a way that supports productive ties between African countries and enhances the presence of African products within continental markets.
Al-Khatib also stressed the need to strengthen the role of the private sector as it is capable of translating the agreement’s obligations into investments, industrial projects, services and new job opportunities, noting that the participation of representatives of the business community in the forum reflects a real willingness for joint work between governments and the private sector.
The Minister noted the importance of strengthening payment and financial settlement systems on the continent, stressing that the African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) has become a major mechanism to support intra-regional trade, by enabling transactions in local currencies, reducing costs and increasing the efficiency of cross-border trade, enabling small and medium-sized companies to work more effectively within the single continental market.
Al-Khatib also stressed the need to improve the investment and trade environment by developing infrastructure, modernizing logistics services, simplifying procedures, and establishing clear regulatory frameworks that support production and trade exchange.
The Minister pointed out that the forum represents an important space for dialogue, exchanging visions, and identifying practical steps to enhance the building of a unified African market, with a focus on the needs of the private sector and their compatibility with development priorities in African countries.
Al-Khatib explained that current intra-African trade estimates indicate that it does not exceed 15% of the continent’s total trade, stressing that effective implementation of the agreement is capable of significantly raising this percentage, thus enhancing growth, increasing investment, and creating broader opportunities for youth and women.
The Minister also stressed that this forum provides a vital platform to deepen dialogue between policymakers and the private sector, explore new opportunities for partnership, and launch practical initiatives that support the next phase of implementing the agreement.
The Minister concluded his speech by calling on all participants to deepen cooperation during the forum’s activities, and to pursue new paths that accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and expand industrial and commercial integration across the continent.
Al-Khatib also called on the business community to invest in this event to develop partnerships, conclude agreements, and proceed with initiatives that support the growing trade and investment scene in Africa, stressing that Marrakesh 2025 represents a milestone towards a more integrated, productive and prosperous continent.
