Nouakchott, 02 July 2018

President Kagame, who is also the Chairperson of the African Union, today congratulated the new signatories of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The President was speaking at the closing ceremony of the 31st Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Nouakchott.

The new signatories include Burundi, Lesotho, Namibia, Sierra Leone and South Africa, bringing the number of signatories to 49.

In his closing remarks, President Kagame commended the work done throughout the Summit, and called on African nations to do more to deliver a sustainable future for the continent.

“This is significant progress and more is underway. It therefore signifies great progress towards the Africa we want and building it in the manner we have chosen. The Africa we want is being built before our eyes piece by piece. Let’s keep it up and do even more and better going forward,” President Kagame said.
In addition to Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, Niger, Mali, and eSwatini, yesterday, Chad deposited instruments for ratification of the AfCFTA. Guinea announced that it will do so next week.

President Kagame also attended a working luncheon on Financing African Union-led Peace Support Operations, alongside President Emmanuel Macron of France and other Heads of State and Government. The President met with the CEO of Soft Bank Masayoshi Son to discuss investment in solar energy in Africa, and held talks with Presidents Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria and Macky Sall of Senegal.

Earlier today, President Kagame with Presidents Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa inaugurated the Mandela Avenue in Nouakchott.