STORY: Kenyan president urges leveraging technology to propel free trade in Africa
SHOOTING TIME: April 3, 2024
DATELINE: April 5, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:47
LOCATION: Accra
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/TECHNOLOGY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Kenyan President William Ruto
2. various of conference participants
3. various of the AfCFTA secretariat
4. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): WILLIAM RUTO, Kenyan President
5. various of conference participants
6. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): WAMKELE MENE, AfCFTA Secretary General

STORYLINE:

Kenyan President William Ruto has called for the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to promote technology as a key driver of free trade in Africa.

Ruto made this call on Wednesday when he paid a courtesy visit to the AfCFTA secretariat in Accra, the capital of Ghana.

He said that technology would accelerate the realization of the goals of AfCFTA and create prosperity that leaves nobody behind and shared prosperity that brings on board the majority of the people.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): WILLIAM RUTO, Kenyan President
"Technology is going to dictate the pace at which we move our goods, our services, our products, and our progress. And I want to encourage the AfCFTA to work with the other agencies of the African Union in making sure that we leverage technology to accelerate the movement of goods and services across our countries and also to accelerate progress in all other fields."
   
Ruto pledged to work hand-in-hand with Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to build the necessary financial ecosystem to support trade, investment, and business in Africa.
   
Welcoming President Ruto, AfCFTA Secretary General Wamkele Mene said the continental free trade agreement presents Africa with an unprecedented opportunity to break the legacy of colonialism.
   
Mene said that despite the achievements over the past four years, there is a lot more to do to accelerate the implementation of free trade on the continent.
   
SOUNDBITE 2 (English): WAMKELE MENE, AfCFTA Secretary General
"It is vital that Kenya continues to play a leading role under your leadership, and continue to play a leadership role in Africa. And since His Excellency, the president was elected, Kenya has increasingly become a leading voice for shaping sustainable solutions to challenges that confronted our continent."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Accra.
(XHTV)