Free trade pact a game changer for SA – Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa intends to strengthen trade agreements with other African countries. This follows the recent visit by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari last week when they agreed that a strong relationship between SA and Nigeria at an ‘economic, trade, social, political, diplomatic and people-to-people level’ was imperative. Ramaphosa said economies across the continent ‘are growing at a rate far greater than our own’. ‘It is for this reason that we have embraced the African Continental Free Trade Area,’ he said. A report on the Fin24 site notes that he said the pact would be a game changer, with SA well-placed to make use of the opportunities a free trade area could provide. ‘While we are undertaking a massive investment drive in SA, we are also encouraging investment in other parts of the continent. We do so in pursuit of the shared African vision of Agenda 2063, but also because we know that SA cannot prosper unless Africa as a whole prospers,’ he added.