Uganda has this afternoon put pen to paper on the Continental Free Trade Area Agreement aimed at enabling Free trade Area and movement of goods and persons across member states.
In the Presence of Presidents and Foreign Ministers from over 31 African countries, the Foreign Minister of Uganda Sam Kahamba Kuteesa put pen to paper and committed Uganda to one of the world's largest Free Trade Areas.
Uganda was the fifth East African country to sign the agreement, with Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania and Rwanda already on the list.
This was at the ongoing Heads of State Summit on Continental Free Trade Area in Kigali, Rwanda.
31 countries have so far signed the agreement including Chad, Ghana, South Africa, Morocco and Ivory coast among others.
African heads of government agreed to establish a continental free trade area in 2012 and started negotiations in 2015.
The agreement is set to be signed by all 55 member states of the African Union, bringing together 1.2 billion people with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of more than $2 trillion.
The draft agreement commits countries to removing tariffs on 90 percent of goods, with 10 percent of "sensitive items" to be phased in later.
Uganda's Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kuteesa