By Nnasom David

The Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, H.E. Dr. Americo Ramos, has thrown his weight behind a fresh initiative to accelerate intra-African trade in food and agro commodities.

Ramos further declared that it is a critical opportunity for Africa amid global economic uncertainties.

Speaking during the inauguration of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) Development Summit on Food and Agro Commodities in Africa, Dr. Ramos hailed the project as a symbol of Pan-African unity and South-South cooperation.

” I want to congratulate this initiative. This is an opportunity for Africa — for all countries in Africa — because South-South cooperation is something we need to accelerate, given the situation in the world,” he said.

Dr. Ramos pledged the full support of São Tomé and Príncipe for the initiative, promising to mobilize resources and stakeholders from his country to ensure its success.

“This is an opportunity for Africa. Your initiative could make a difference on the continent. I wish you luck, and I offer the full support of all Sao Tome Principe can contribute. I am open, and I will mobilize all the people and capacity in my country to support this initiative for Africa’s development,” he added.

The summit, being organized by the Nigeria-São Tomé and Príncipe Forum, seeks to harness the potential of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in agriculture and agro-commodity production, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea region.

Dr. Myke Ozurumba, President of the Forum, emphasized the importance of building capacity at the grassroots level of production.

“The goal of this summit is to mobilize for intra-African trade at the SME level, especially across the Gulf of Guinea.

 “We want our people — our teeming population involved in agricultural production and agro-commodity manufacturing — to leverage the AfCFTA to expand their businesses,” he explained.