Commenting, Keith said “Trade lets people enjoy products their own country cannot easily produce—coffee, electronics, medicines, clothing, fresh fruit out of season.
It is also important because it improves people’s lives—through better choices, lower prices, more jobs, and stronger economies. Without trade, everyday life would be far more limited and expensive.
Having said how important trade is, it faces a mix of economic, political, and logistical barriers that can slow or restrict the flow of goods and services across borders. These obstacles range from tariffs and regulations to geopolitical tensions and high transport costs. Hence why organisations like the African Business Chamber and ourselves strive to influence governments, businesses, and even international organisations so as to remove or certainly minimise any barriers. There are twenty-one commonwealth member nations on the African continent and was pleasing to see a number of them represented at the summit including Ghana, Zambia, and South Africa. Clearly, there is much we should be doing to increase trade, which currently stands at only 2.4% of UK total trade.” The summit was most interesting enabling me, on behalf of the BCA, to make some useful contacts as well as widening my own knowledge.”
Chief Executive, African Business Chamber (AfBC) And Keith Stokes-Smith BCA Chairman
Some of the speakers at the Africa Investment Summit together withy Eugene Nizeyimana and Keith Stokes-Smith