South Sudan official addresses US visa revocation controversy and nationality issues.
Ecobank CEO Jeremy Awori has urged African nations to boost intra-continental trade to cushion the impact of US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs, which threaten many of the continent’s economies. The US is Africa’s fourth-largest trading partner. Consequently, the tariffs could have a disproportionate impact on the continent as they could also reduce demand for the continent’s exports from China, its largest trading partner. Awori called for accelerated implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), removal of non-tariff barriers, and local value addition to raw materials as a means of weathering the effects of Trump’s moves, including earlier aid cuts that could push six million people into extreme poverty. According to World Bank estimates, a fully realized AfCFTA could expand exports by $560 billion.