President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has urged African countries to fully implement the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to boost trade, industrialisation and economic growth across the continent.

Strategically positioned, Namibia and Kenya can deepen economic cooperation and build stronger business partnerships to drive industrial growth, regional trade, and sustainable development.

Vice President Lucia Witbooi has called on African countries to strengthen economic cooperation and reduce dependence on external markets, saying Africa must take greater control over its own development and industrialisation.

Namibia is ready to send the first consignment under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework at Walvis Bay on Monday.

Namibia will turn trade under the AfCFTA framework from theory to practice.

The Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa, tabled a motion calling on the National Assembly to ratify the Revised African Maritime Transport Charter.

Intra-African trade remains notably low, constituting only about 16 percent of the continent's total trade, which is significantly less than 40 percent in Asia and 60 percent in Europe. 

Participants at the recently concluded 7th African Tourism Leadership Forum and Awards in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, emphasized the importance of intra-African trade for the continent.