The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies has arrived in Paris, France where he will be attending an informal World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministers’ Meeting on the sidelines of the OECD Ministers’ Meeting. The WTO meeting will be co-chaired by Australia and Kenya. The ministers will use this opportunity to talk about the post-Bali work programme and the outcomes that can be achieved by the 10th WTO Ministerial Council Meeting that will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, in December 2015.

From France, Minister Davies will travel to Egypt to attend the launch of the Tripartite Free Trade Agreement FTA in Sharm-el-Shaik. The COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) will be take place in Sharm-el-Shaik, Egypt.on 10 June 2015

The TFTA will create a market of 26 countries, with a combined population of over 625 million people and a Gross Domestic Product of over $1 trillion. The launch signifies the conclusion of the negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement which sets rules and a framework within which tariff preferences and other commitments will be implemented. Negotiations on tariffs and rules of origin will continue as part of the built-in agenda.

Issued by The Department of Tade and Industry