Back To School For Journos

(MENAFN- The Post) FOR business journalists to remain relevant in their beat, they have to master the language and understand finer details of the trade.
This was emphasized at a sensitisation workshop for journalists held in collaboration with the Trade Ministry and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) last Wednesday.

The workshop was meant to help journalists in the business beat to have key insights of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA).

The aim was to make sure that media practitioners as the stakeholders in disseminating information are actively engaging in the implementation of AFCFTA Youth Agenda and acceleration in implementing the AFCFTA.

The World Bank says as the most connected generation of Africans in history, the youth hold the key to unleashing greater productivity and improving the economic trajectory of the continent – if they are healthy, educated, and skilled.

This is one of the reasons the workshop talked about the AFCFTA Youth Agenda, which emphasizes that“youths must be trained and capacitated”.

All journalists who attended the workshop were young people.

The main tasks of the AFCFTA State Parties involve the obligations to progressively eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade in goods, progressively liberalise trade in services, cooperate on investment, intellectual property rights and competition policy.

The agreement establishing the AFCFTA was officially established in January 2012 by the head of states and government of the African Union and as in February this year 54 countries have signed and 46 have ratified it.

Rorisang Ntaote, a member of the Independent Continental Youth Advisory Council on the AFCFA, said just as the AFCFA attempts to facilitate cross border trade in goods they also aim to facilitate trade services among the continent of Africa.

These services which are agreed on by the member states are communications and transport services and are within five priority sectors.

“Unlike goods that are controlled by tariffs at the border here the market is controlled beyond borders by modes of supply,” Ntaote said.

“Lesotho is one of the state parties in this agreement and tends to benefit a lot while implementing this agreement,” she said.

She further urged youth entrepreneurs to grab this opportunity with both hands by firstly being involved in the implementation of this protocol.

She said Basotho can benefit by having access to wider markets.

“It enhances economic development with more exports than imports,” she said.

Moreover, increased trade in services has immerse potential to transform the economy and create sustainable jobs in Lesotho, with promotion of services like tourism and travel, she said.

The co-founder and President of the Agro-Processors Association of Lesotho (APALE), Motlatsi Tsatsi, said they are very aware that the youth need development skills and the need to be fueled up with among others career building programmes that will help them decide what they want.

He said it is critical to include the youth in policy-making as they are the ones who happen to carry a lot of responsibilities in making their countries better.

“Funding their businesses would also help for a way forward and not forgetting financial programmes that will also respond to their needs,” he said.

While working on the dissemination of information, Tsatsi said, it would be great not to leave the youth in remote areas because they need to be well informed too“so that they can also be part of the youth entrepreneurship”.

The workshop emphasized the need for media practitioners to understand both local and international trade protocols so that they can impart knowledge

Mpolai Makhetha

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