GA 2023

The annual General Assembly (GA) of the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) is the most prominent event on the organization’s calendar, bringing together representatives and business delegations from the World Trade Centers (WTCs) around the world to a new city each year. GA 2018 was held in Leeuwarden and GA 2019 in Querétaro, Mexico.GA 2023, the first in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will be held in Accra, Ghana from 23 to 28 of April 2023. This event will also mark the return of large physical gatherings of the WTCA after three years of restrictions due to the COVID Pandemic. The 53rd GA will be held under the theme: “Towards African Economic Integration and Enhanced Global Presence”, and will highlight the unique trade and economic opportunities presented by Africa, touted as the world’s next economic frontier, especially in light of the new Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). Africa has the largest unused potential in almost every economic sector and offers unmatchable opportunities for trade and investment. Seven out of the world’s ten fastest-growing economies were in Africa (pre-COVID) and the continent’s average annual growth rate is ahead of that of the rest of the world. AfCFTA has created the single-largest custom-free trading area in the world, with a combined Gross Domestic Product of over US$3 trillion. With the implementation of the AfCFTA agreement, trade facilitation measures that cut red tape and simplify customs procedures are expected to drive $292 billion in potential income gains. The implementation the AfCFTA is helping to usher in the kind of deep reforms necessary to enhance long-term growth in African countries.