Rwanda becomes third country to ratify A.U. free trade pact

RWANDA has become the third African country to ratify the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) deal. Kigali submitted ratification instruments to the African Union (A.U.) on Saturday.

The first two countries were Kenya and Ghana who submitted documents on May 10. Rwanda was however, the first to ratify the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons and the African Passport.

At the time Kenya and Ghana deposited their documents, the A.U. Commission chief, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said he hoped their lead would galvanize others who signed the treaty in Kigali to ratify it by 2019.

The AFCFTA is one of the biggest free trade blocs in the world, maybe only behind the World Trade Organization (WTO). Over forty Heads of State and government representatives signed it during an A.U. summit in Kigali.