Khartoum– President of the Republic, Field Marshal Omer Al Bashir left to the Rwandan capital of Kigali to participate in the African Union (AU) extraordinary summit on the

free trade zone on March 20-21.
The accompanying delegation includes the Minister of the Presidency of the Republic, Dr. Fadl Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Ibrahim Ghandour, Minister of Commerce, Hatem Al-Sir, State Minister at the Presidency, Director-General of the Office of the President of the Republic, Hatim Hassan Bakhit.
African Union Commission Chairman, Moussa Fakki stressed the need for member states to demonstrate their ability to act as a single bloc in the defense of the interests of their continent, adding, "Africa's assets will ultimately benefit our peoples who are eagerly waiting to improve their living conditions in a concrete and sustainable manner after the establishment of the fee zone, in addition to its main role in African integration, saying the  African Free Trade Area (AFTA) is expected to increase bilateral trade by 52% by 2022 and enable industrial and agricultural exports to rise significantly, besides job opportunities and stimulate development prospects for young people. "
The Free Trade Area project aims to consolidate the process of continental integration and increase the volume of trade exchange between African countries, as well as facilitate the movement of people and goods between the countries of the African continent.