The deadline set by the Tripartite Council of Ministers for member States of the three regional economic blocs to sign and ratify the tripartite free trade area lapses this month. So far only four countries Kenya, Egypt, South Africa and Uganda have signed and ratified the TFT agreement. A total of 22 out of 26 countries in the tripartite bloc comprising COMESA East Africa Community and Southern Africa Development Community have signed the agreement. Delegates attending the seventh Extraordinary meeting of the COMESA Intergovernmental Committee that opened in Lusaka today were informed that 8 of the 19 countries that had ratified the Africa Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) were Tripartite Member/Partner States.