João Lourenço, who leaves on Thursday for Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, "will carry out a parallel diplomatic agenda, which includes meetings on peace in Africa and meetings with high-ranking figures in African and world politics", reads the note.
The work of the African Union will take place on the 18th and 19th, under the theme "Accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area".
The under-secretary-executive of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, António Pedro, considered this Wednesday that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), "gives the scale to invest in production, increasing intra-Africa trade, bringing supply chains closer together and contributing to self-sufficiency in essential products such as medicines, food and fertilizers".
The free trade agreement in Africa was approved in 2019, entered into force at the beginning of 2021 and covers a market with more than 1,300 million consumers, who will benefit from the strong reduction in customs tariffs and freer exports in the region, with 43 of the 54 African countries.
