African officials say trade deal ready for signing

Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt—Senior African officials negotiating a trade deal in Egypt to create a common market across half the continent said Monday the pact was ready to be signed.

The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) spanning 26 countries is to be launched at a summit of heads of state and government on Wednesday in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The pact aims to set up a common framework for tariff preferences that would ease the movement of goods across the area’s member countries.