All Africa:

Preparations to have a free trade zone across Africa’s three economic blocs are in high gear, Juma Mwapachu, the East Africa Community (EAC) Secretary General has said.

The efforts are a result of a tripartite summit held in Kampala last year, where heads of state from the three regional blocs; EAC, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the Southern African Development Community, (SADC) agreed on the expeditious establishment of a free trade bloc.

“We are at the stage where we are about to complete the technical study which will determine what form of free trade area we should have,” Mwapachu told journalists at the just concluded EAC media summit in Kampala.

The study, being conducted by a consultancy firm from the three blocs, will define the institutional arrangements required and a roadmap towards the establishment of the free trade area.