African leaders tasked to stem $88bn illicit financial outflows

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has tasked African leaders to pay serious attention to and arrest illicit financial outflows from the continent, which are estimated to be about some $88 billion annually

Fully realized AfCFTA to yield $35bn each year

The $88 billion annual tax-motivated illicit financial flow is more double the $35 billion a fully realized African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement is expected to yield each year.

Depriving Africa of significant resources

This, he said deprives Africa of significant resources that could be used to support continent’s development agenda.

Call for unambiguous tax policies

“We must urgently and collectively institute comprehensive and unambiguous tax policies to combat tax-motivated illicit financial flows, strengthen legal and law enforcement systems and bring together national agencies to stem such flows.

Systemic impoverishment of Africa

“We need concrete measures to stop the systemic impoverishment of our continent and the theft of its resources,” he said.

Africa Prosperity Dialogue series

He made the call in an address to close the three-day maiden Africa Prosperity Dialogue series held at in the Eastern region.

Dubbed the Kwahu Summit, the first of the annual dialogues, brought together Africa’s political and business leaders to discuss intra-Africa trade, with a focus on the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The series, an initiative of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN), was on the theme: “AfCFTA: From Ambition to Action, Delivering Prosperity through Continental Trade”.

The summit deliberated towards building a strong and effective single market of Africa’s 1.3 billion people to help create more opportunities for its citizens and build a more prosperous Africa.

Economic security and prosperity

President Akufo-Addo appealed to countries on the African continent to work with a sense of urgency to guarantee economic security and prosperity for the citizens.

Boosting intra-African trade

Consequently, he called on African political and business leaders, as well as other strategic stakeholders to harness the opportunity presented by AfCFTA to boost intra-African trade.

Quick wins and concentrated focus

President Akufo-Addo said the collective desire to transform the African continent necessitated “quick wins as well as concentrated focus” on the steps towards the prosperity of Africa.

“We in Africa must with a sense of urgency work together to guarantee the economic security and secure the prosperity of our peoples.

“To accomplish this shared objective, African political and business leaders, as well as other strategic stakeholders should use the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA agreement to boost intra-African trade in order to enhance the productive capacity and strengthen its resilience to external shocks,” he said.

Elimination of tariffs on 97% of goods

President Akufo-Addo noted that   AfCFTA presents a significant opportunity for businesses to set up and expand in Africa with the elimination of tariffs on 97% of goods traded within the African continent.

“While we recognize the enormous challenges we may face, it is the smart actions that we take, the investments we make in our people, and the speed and effectiveness in implementing the common African market that will guarantee that the 1.3 billion people who call this continent home can enjoy a prosperous and fulfilling life,” he stressed.

Investment in productive capacity and physical infrastructure

He acknowledged that a great deal has to be done to realise the full benefits of intra-African trade calling for investment in productive capacity and physical infrastructure.

Improving business and investment climate

He stated that the continent ought to improve its business and investment climate and look to value addition and promotion of economics of scale.

Scaling up domestic resources mobilisation

President Akufo-Addo advocated scaling up of efforts to mobilise domestic resources to support Africa’s development agenda, including the productive sectors.

Investing in and harnessing technology and innovation

He emphasized on the need for Africa to invest in and harness technology and innovation to transform economic structures and educational systems.

He said it is imperative for Africa to build technology and trade policy convergence and to adopt new approaches to sustain technological and market competitiveness.

“We must now with great zeal and fortitude back this great ambition with our collective action to harness fully the benefits of a liberalized single market for goods and services, this must be our solemn and moral obligation to our continent, to our children and future generations.

“We cannot afford to fail, as African nations, we must join hands with each other and work diligently to pursue this noble cause,” he said.