TITLE:
Potential Effects of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement on the Namibian Labour System
AUTHORS:
Gurvy Kavei, Kretha Mbambo
KEYWORDS:
Regional Integration, AfCFTA, Namibia, Labour Harmonization
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.11 No.8,
August
18,
2023
ABSTRACT: Africa
regional integration is useful for commercial and radical social development of
countries. Pursuant to the tenets of its Agenda 2063 and its fast-track
implementation plan, the African Union leaders congregated in Kigali, Rwanda on
Wednesday 21 March 20015, to officially launch the African Continental Free
Trade Area (AfCFTA) for the first time. The objective of this paper is
therefore to gauge the degree of readiness of Namibia (as a ratified member
state) for implementing the provisions of the AfCFTA with particular focus on
labour-related issues. Using a conceptual desktop approach, the research
detects a great omnibus of good and bad potential outcomes of the agreement,
severally and individually for member states. It further takes the view that,
largely, the AfCFTA will remain an ideal trapped in bureaucratic statutory inertia short of a sense of emergency, like its
sub-regional conduits at RECs levels. The paper therefore points out
labour-related aspects needing imperative attention and recommends expediency,
boldness, and not-business-as-usual approach by continental leadership,
holistically giving due credence to cross-border accessibility and
harmonization of health, social protection, educational, and employment
benefits, for all continental citizens and its migrant workers. Among others,
the paper proposes a minimum wage framework as a point of departure in
compliment to labour productivity, job grading, while highlighting the need for
affirmative action to marginalised sections of society. The limitations of this
study are a conceptual desktop review, ushers’ opportunities for empirical
research, practice, and policy, among others; distribution of skills across the
continent, role of trade unions in a free trade continent.