The Deputy Minister of Transport, Alhassan Tampuli has identified the creation of a solid multimodal transport network as key to the success of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Transport Kwaku Ofori Asiamah at the opening ceremony of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Africa Forum held on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 in Accra, the Deputy Minister said transport would play a key role in linking activities within the continent and beyond.
AfCFTA is expected to significantly increase traffic flow on all transport modes: Road, Rail, Maritime, and Air but according to the Deputy Minister, such gains will only be optimized if the AfCFTA is accompanied by development of regional infrastructure projects.
“The AfCFTA and Africa’s transport infrastructure programmes are intrinsically linked and should be implemented simultaneously. It is therefore important that we prioritize development programmes including the Trans-African Highways (TAH), the Programme for Infrastructure Development (PIDA) and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) at the same level with AfCFTA” he said.
Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Herbert Krapa (left) and Deputy Minister of Transport, Alhassan Tampuli (middle) visit the GSA exhibition stand at the Forum.
The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Herbert Krapah also noted that, “Currently, the means of haulage and movement of goods is largely by sea for primary goods and by air for our non-traditional exports. Cross-border trading is undertaken mostly by road.
Transport and Logistics is rightly one of the priority areas for the AfCFTA, together with Pharmaceuticals, Automotive, and Agro-processing.”
The CILT Africa FORUM serves as a platform for governments, organizations and individuals to share, learn and promote professional and business interests.
The theme for Africa Forum 2022 is “Sustainable Implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement: The Role of Logistics, Transport and Industry”.
An exhibition space was created for public and private organizations to educate and sell their services to key players in the logistics and transport sector.
