The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Member States of the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) concluded their 3rd Ministerial Meeting, taking stock of progress on the Joint Vision for 2030 for a renewed Partnership, adopted at the 6th EU-AU Summit in 2022. This Ministerial paves the way for the 7th AU-EU Summit, which will take place in Africa, in 2025, marking 25 years of the partnership since the Cairo Summit in 2000.
AfCFTA: How Intellectual Property Laws Can Help Create Jobs
The Agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is ambitious. Bringing together 55 African Union member states, it will form the world’s largest free trade area by the number of participating countries. The Agreement covers trade in goods and services, investment, intellectual property rights and competition policy. The Phase II negotiations of the agreement hold many opportunities, particularly for Intellectual Property (IP). A strong IP regime across the continent will facilitate the growth of MSMEs and will lead to increased job creation especially for women and the youth.