Invited by the director of the North Africa Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) as an expert and SKEMA teacher, Dhafer Saidane spoke about the role of the finance sector in AfCFTA’s success.
“The finance sector, particularly the banking side, plays a crucial part in the promotion of trade and regional integration. With Maghreb, private national banks have overcome various obstacles to gain market share in other countries in the region, thus fostering improved financial integration, which then promotes real commercial and economic integration,” he said.
His talk highlighted the lessons that can be learnt from this experience of the finance sector, which could “act as a facilitator and help economic players to make the most of commercial opportunities in the region.”
Dhafer Saidane, who has a PhD in economics, is a professor at SKEMA Business School. He heads the MSc Corporate Financial Management programme at the Lille campus. He also oversees the International Observatory of Sustainable Finance and started the SAB Sustainable Finance Trophy.