ACCRA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe has called on African countries to strengthen regional value chains of goods and services to boost intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Strong value chains would give Africans varieties of locally made products to choose from and motivate them to buy African products, Boshe told a public lecture late Tuesday in the Ghanaian capital of Accra.

The event's theme was "AfCFTA as a Catalyst for Agenda 2063: Seizing Opportunities in a Changing World."

"Building and buying African products is about implementing effective trade and industrial policies to make quality products, improve production capacity, and create regional value chains that give consumers a compelling reason to buy African products," he said.

Africa needs to identify and link up regional products with manufacturers that have the most intra-African export potential in a way that lowers the costs of inputs for manufacturing, Boshe said.

He urged African leaders to work on reducing the time taken to cross borders, introduce policies to support the free movement of skills and capital for enhanced productivity and expedite the construction of modern trade infrastructure to enhance the movements of people, goods, and services.

"Trade agreements alone will not create jobs or build industries," Boshe said. "Trade also requires roads, ports, and financial systems that connect businesses and people. Without these, progress will be uneven."

Launched in 2021, the AfCFTA is a landmark trade agreement that aims to create a single market for goods and services across all African Union members. Enditem

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