AfCFTA: Strong provincial integration will bring extra growth to Nigeria – Don
Obinna Odogwu, Awka
A university don, Ngozi Egbuna, has called for the strengthening of the regional integration and promotion of trade among countries in Africa, saying that such moves would help in the development of the continent.
She said that there were numerous benefits and opportunities which countries in Africa could harvest from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) if managed well.
Egbuna spoke during the official inauguration and launching of Prof Ngozi Eunice Egbuna International Centre for Regional Integration and Trade Research at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The centre is domiciled in the Department of Economics.
“With the urgent need for Nigeria and the rest of Africa to rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, policymakers must do more than deliver incremental improvements in a business-as-usual scenario.
“The pandemic has exposed longstanding weaknesses and shone a spotlight on a range of macroeconomic challenges that require more than a quick fix and emergency funding from multilateral organisations.
“Indeed, the current crisis should be a catalyst for building a more sustainable, resilient and self-sufficient continent. Thus, the renewed call for multilateralism and global partnerships has elevated the stats of international trade and regional integration,” she said.
Egbuna said that Nigeria urgently needs an international centre for regional integration and trade research that would mould experts for that purpose.
“This is because Nigeria and the West African sub-region need the critical mass of highly skilled and trained experts in regionalism and trade integration to provide intellectual, technical and professional inputs to bolster governmental, inter-governmental and nongovernmental efforts to realise Nigeria’s integration ambitions and justify its contributions to West African/African integration efforts”, she said.
The professor said that the choice of UNIZIK was apt as the university has a reputation for evidence-based research and has been maintaining that good record for a long time now.
“UNIZIK has been at the forefront in the development of trade relations with partners like China, etc. It is, therefore, right to continue to play a key leadership role at the African and sub-regional levels, especially in galvanising and coordinating WAMZ, ECOWAS, AU, AfCFTA, Afrieximbank and AACB affairs.
“The overall aim of the postgraduate and short programs is to provide participants with a unique opportunity to deepen knowledge and gain expertise in these areas of growing significance for Nigerian/African development.
“It will provide graduates with expertise that will lead to career opportunities in worldwide academic institutions, public administrations, trade organisations and regional integration institutions, non-state organisations and private sector groups,” she added.
