The meeting that will host the Senegalese capital, on June 24 and 25, is organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in partnership with the Senegalese government, the African Union Commission and the European Union on the theme “Zlecaf on the move: deepening African integration for a prosperous continent”.

According to the organizers, the meeting is designed as a space for regional and multi-actor dialogue on all the issues related to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (Zlecaf) in the French-speaking States, in particular those of the Economic Community of West African States and the Economic Community of Central African States. Stakeholders, particularly political decision-makers, economic actors, civil society organizations and research institutes, will be invited to make recommendations on the ways and means to be deployed so that the Zlecaf brings tangible, inclusive and lasting change. for the economies of the sub-region. This, in terms of industrialization, economic diversification and job creation.

“This forum aims to foster constructive exchanges in order to draw lessons from regional integration and to assess the extent to which regional economic communities can serve as a basis for unlocking the commercial potential of Zlecaf in West and Central Africa. said ECA Senior Advisor to the African Center for Trade Policy, Adeyinka Adeyemi. He indicated that during this two-day meeting, the participants will examine as a priority several major themes in plenary sessions.

Among the points to be debated is the one related to the consideration of Zlecaf as an endogenous initiative which aims to promote integration, stimulate industrial competitiveness and job creation in Africa as well as the facilitation of trade to free up the Zlecaf potential for West and Central Africa.

"The effective implementation of the Zlecaf necessarily presents a certain number of assets and challenges specific to the region", adds Adeyinka Adeyemi, before specifying that these regional particularities must be the subject of an evaluation in consultation with the all the key players so that they derive the full benefit of a free trade area on a continental scale.