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The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana International Trade & Finance Conference, Selasi Koffi Ackom, has held a press briefing here in Accra to launch and set a date for the upcoming GITFIC conference, which happens to be the AfCFTA Edition.
Speaking during the launch, Selasi Koffi Ackom, CEO, GITFIC, mentioned that the conference was held first in Ghana in April 2017. It saw a collaboration between the Private Enterprise Federation (PEF), and his organization.
He explained, ‘‘this year’s conference will be educative, it will be directive, it will be authoritative and most importantly, it will expose participants to all there is to know about the Africa Continental Free Trade Area.’’
The conference since then has been subsequently organized twice after the earlier one and has attracted several publications in the Media. He was of the view that the articles generated as a result of the success of the conference, culminated in the official opening of the AfCFTA Secretariat here in Accra under the able leadership of H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
GITFIC, he says have been close to influential decision-makers on AfCFTA and have been abreast with issues within the Continental Free Trade Area.
This year’s conference is under the theme, ‘‘Optimizing AfCFTA for Africans, the role of logistics infrastructure’’. The conference will be boarded on these important and delicate sub-themes such as physical connectivity, digital connectivity, Infrastructural deficits, tariff reforms, non-tariff reforms, port harmonization, a single continental payment, harmonization system, a harmonized trading platform for member countries, a harmonized continental cybersecurity system, standardization of member states trading protocols et al.
According to Mr. Ackom, speakers at the 4th GITFIC conference will be from diverse technical fields from more than five countries on the continent including Nigeria, Gambia, Sudan, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Zambia.
Hon. Mohammed Adjei Sowah, Mayor of Accra, announced the new scheduled date as 27-28th October 2020 at the Movenpick Hotel here in Accra. The conference has partners like the Agricultural Development Bank, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Canada-Ghana Chamber, and the Ghana Free zone Authority.