Story by Tichaona Kurewa
THE need to strengthen public administration systems on the continent to implement the African Continental Free Trade Area dominated proceedings at the 9th edition of the Africa Public Service Day commemorations held in Victoria Falls this Wednesday.
In 2020 Zimbabwe officially joined the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which seeks to create a single continental market for goods and services.
To ensure the continent benefits, the African Union is seeking ways to capacitate regional public administrators to ensure Africa reaps huge benefits from the AfCFTA.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 2023 Africa Public Service Day celebrations in Victoria Falls this Wednesday, Secretary to Service Commissions, Dr Tsitsi Choruma said the public administrators are the key drivers of the AfCFTA.
“The public administrators are the ones that are found within various departments and at border posts. So this conference is looking at ways to equip these public administrators to ensure the smooth implementation of the AfCFTA. We will also re-equip the public administrators to fit into AfCFTA and deliver accordingly,” she said.
For the government, the AfCFTA is key to improving people’s livelihoods.
“Through AfCFTA, trade on the continent will be upscaled and this means that there will be a ready market for local goods. This should also see the continent trading using local currencies away from the US dollar. We are exploring ways that public administrators can help in implementing the AfCFTA,” said Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Permanent Secretary, Mr Simon Masanga.
The Africa Public Service Day is a day set aside to commemorate the important role played by civil servants in the economic development of the continent.
