Engineers to meet over harnessing opportunities from AfCFTA
About 500 engineers and other stakeholders will meet in August to discuss how to harness opportunities from AfCFTA. Photo / Courtesy
What you need to know:
- The conference will seek to tap into engineering opportunities presented by the accelerated African Continental Free Trade Area implementation
Engineers and other stakeholders under the Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers will, between August 17 and 18, hold the National Technology Conference and Exhibition to discuss how they can tap opportunities expected under the accelerated African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The conference, which will be held under the theme: "Tapping engineering opportunities for accelerated African Continental Free Trade Area implementation," seeks to create a platform through which key stakeholders within the engineering industry can exchange knowledge, innovative and share experiences, among others to maximise expected opportunities under AfCFTA .
The conference is expected to feature a number of discussions, some of which will focus on leveraging engineering expertise to enhance Uganda's value proposition within the AfCFTA trade ecosystem, by particularly ensuring availability of strategic engineering goods and services.
Participants will mainly be drawn from the engineering industry, but will also extend to contractors, consultants, regulators, enforcers and other associate stakeholders. At least 500 participants are expected.
The African Continental Free Trade Area, a flagship initiative of Agenda 2063, seeks to establish a single market for goods and services across Africa.
With a potential population of about 1.3 billion people and a combined gross domestic product of about $3.4 trillion, AfCFTA seeks to eliminate trade barriers and promote intra-African trade.
Uganda has been one of the countries that have already ratified the AfCFTA. Therefore, as a way of positioning themselves for the expected opportunities, engineers will be seeking to understand what strategic goods and services Uganda can bring to the trade ecosystem, how Uganda can harness its engineering capacity and what policy measures would be required to ensure that the country is not left out.
The conference will feature comprehensive discussions on innovation, industrialization, agro-processing, engineering standards, multi-lateral infrastructure and mineral exploration and processing.
Other discussions will focus on environmental protection and climate change mitigation, digital transformation, transboundary engineering systems, engineering labor mobility and supply chain capability enhancements, among others.
While significant efforts are being made at the political level to negotiate policies that unlock AfCFTA's potential, it is crucial to enhance preparedness at the tactical and operational levels.
Therefore, in order to maximise opportunities presented by a wider intra-African market, Uganda will improve its balance of trade position and elevate gross domestic product to achieve sustainable growth.
