Landmark deal

(L to R) Chairman of African Union Moussa Faki Mahamat, Egyptian President and African Union Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (L) and Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou attend the launching of the “operational phase” of a landmark free trade agreement during the African Union summit at the Palais des Congres, in Niamey. African nations officially launched a landmark trade agreement at an African Union summit in Niger on July 7, with the long sought-after agreement hailed as a historic step towards “peace and prosperity” across the continent.