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Tomorrow, on the 28th of October, Vice Versa Global, will participate in a critical virtual summit on the AfCFTA and its implications to climate change. The event will be live-streamed on Zoom and televised on television. You can join the conversation by registering for free at https://bnionline.zoom.us/j/91790031733?pwd=KzdGWFVRVWlGWTVrZ3JsSUVBd3FWUT09 .One should use the passcode 377434 to log in at 10:00 am Eastern Time (EAT). To provide a detailed perspective on the summit, Vice Versa Global reporter Eunice Mwaura spoke with Miss Jane Kasumba, the program’s main coordinator.

Creating a unified continent-wide market for products and services to facilitate capital and natural person mobility is one of the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area, the largest trading bloc since the World Trade Organization. In terms of poverty reduction and industrialization, the AfCFTA has been heralded as a ray of hope. However, it’s impossible to disregard climate change worries despite the acclaim that comes with ratification by the 54 AU members, especially since developing nations are more exposed to its consequences. Expansion of intra-African trade may have a noticeable and immediate effect on the environment. Although trade may help to boost economic growth and development, it can also help to better manage the environment since it supports these other factors as well.

To better comprehend the connection between trade and climate change, this virtual summit scheduled for the 28^th of October at 10 am, East African time is set to put things in context regarding how trade intersects with climate change in several ways.

Why, therefore, is this issue so critical?

The AfCFTA and Climate Change

“The AfCFTA has been hotly contested and discussed throughout most of last year. With this in mind, we’ll talk about a part of the trading bloc that hasn’t been explored all the way”, Jane kasumba a lawyer, T.V broadcaster and entrepreneur points out. “The focus will be on the AfCFTA and how climate change may affect its development. Climate change affects a wide range of things; rising temperatures, more frequent and severe weather events, rising sea levels and shifting species populations and habitats. Therefore, there is little to no doubt, that it will have a significant effect on trade in Africa”, she asserts.

“The focus of the conference will be on trade’s impact on the environment, as well as the impact of climate change on trade patterns. Is it better for the environment to have more open trade or less?”

The Seminar’s Layout

Jane Kasumba

Jane says the seminar will begin with an overview of the present level of scientific knowledge on climate change and the choices available for dealing with the issue posed by that knowledge gap. After the scientific examination, there will be a section devoted to trade’s role in climate change and the consequences it has on the economy. “The purpose of the meeting is to explore the role that the ongoing trade and environmental discussions play in encouraging trade in climate change mitigation technology, while also strengthening international trade relations. Several nations have employed a variety of national policies and strategies to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency, and enhance trade. The session will provide an overview of the AfCFTA laws related to climate change mitigation where suitable. We’ll also look at how climate change affects women and young people in commerce”, she concludes.

Media Avenues

There will be a Zoom broadcast, social media, and television coverage of this full-day worldwide virtual conference. A carefully curated group of experts on ‘The AfCFTA and Climate Change’ will speak on the panel. Various climate and trade thematic will be addressed by experts, traders, policymakers, and academics. It will also involve members of the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and other international organizations with first-hand knowledge of climate change, regional integration, the African economy, and international cooperation.

There will also be a broadcast whose main focus will be on the impact of climate change on merchants, particularly women and young people.

Everyone who wants to participate in the discourse can do so for free at the conference. All they have to do is click the URL below to sign up and participate.

https://bnionline.zoom.us/j/91790031733?pwd=KzdGWFVRVWlGWTVrZ3JsSUVBd3FWUT09, with the passcode 377434 on Thursday, October 28th at 10 am East African time.

The summit will  be an event set to happen annually but for further information,  one can go to www.gryntrade.com , where you’ll find regular updates from GrynTrade.

We look forward to seeing you on October 28th at 10:00 a.m. (E.A.T)