‘New chapter’ in Africa’s history: World’s largest free trade zone to become reality this week

RT ^ | 5-27-19 | RT

[dynachrome]

According to statistics, cited by the ministry, when the agreement enters into force it will affect more than 1.2 billion people, with a total domestic product of about $3.4 trillion. It will cut duties on 90 percent of goods on the continent. The deal could boost intra-African trade by 52.3 percent, the UN said.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame hailed it as a “new chapter in African unity.”

The African Union’s trade commissioner Albert Muchanga told Fortune: “When you look at the African economies right now, their basic problem is fragmentation.”

[dynachrome]

Violence, corruption, and ebola. The Chinese can have it. Their rules of engagement are a lot different than ours.

[Track9]

I imagine they already own half the ports.

[17th Miss Regt]

"When you look at the African economies right now, their basic problem is fragmentation.”

Wrong. Tribalism, corruption and so on plague Africa. This is a push for centralized planning of economies on a continental scale. The problem with Africa is not capitalism, it is a lack of capitalism.

[A Formerly Proud Canadian]

From the title:
"World’s largest free trade zone to become reality this week"

Yep. Free to trade wars, diseases, slavery, rape, murder, poverty AND MUHAMEDANISM! But, of course, I repeat myself.

If I had money to invest in business expansion, would I invest in an expansion into Africa? I'd have to give that some thought.

...well, I thought about it. Perhaps when HELL FREEZES OVER!

[Tennessean4Bush]

Africa is actually growing at 4.6% GDP overall, and certain countries in Africa are among the fastest growing in the world.

[dynachrome]

It’s funny that the article quotes the Rwandan president on unity. Do the Hutus agree?

[RightGeek]

their basic problem is fragmentation

Their basic problem is that they are poorly governed sh*tholes.

[aquila48]

The Bell Curve.

[17th Miss Regt]

Careful! That is a very tutsi subject!

[trisham]

Africa is a hellhole.

[HamiltonJay]

Africa is a mess.... it is finally moving in the right direction... but can it be sustained? History, sadly points to no.... I hope they are able to break that cycle, I truly do.

[hanamizu]

My cousin is an old Africa hand. He told me there’s a saying: WAWA—West Africa Wins Again, a modification of Africa Wins Again. Africa always wins. Africans, not so much.

[A Formerly Proud Canadian]

Yes, there IS growth, propelled by a huge and growing population. While Christianity (of a sort) is growing there, it is not reflected in the actions of the populace, in general. You are, no doubt, aware of the South African government's expropriation of white owned lands, merely copying what Mugabe did with Rhodesia Zimbabwe, are you not?

South Africa's GDP topped $400 billion USD in 2011 but has remained below $300 billion in 2017 and 2018. This has absolutely NOTHING to do with the expropriation of PRODUCTIVE South Africans from their land.

The Europeans, particularly the British, left their former colonies in Africa, generally in good shape. Greed (on the part of ambitious warlords like Idi Amin, for example) and lack of ambition on the part of many Africans, has resulted in a 'failed' continent.

A former acquaintance, a black man from Liberia, often speaks of Africans operating on 'African time'.It is similar to what we call 'Native' time in Western Canada. In other words, if you have an appointment at 9:00AM, 'African' time means arriving any time from 9;00AM until 11:30AM. It makes absolutely no difference. No surprise that it is a 'failed' continent.

Jordan Peterson, among others, has discussed the differences in IQ. Statistically, Blacks have an average IQ that is 15 points below the average 'Caucasian. It is not 'politically correct' to speak such statistics but the stats are what they are.