African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat

African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat The Official Facebook Handle for the African Continental Free Trade Area .
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Why does a trade agreement need a visit?Because between a signature and a shipment there is a long list of practical thi...
18/08/2026

Why does a trade agreement need a visit?

Because between a signature and a shipment there is a long list of practical things: which goods are covered, which rules prove where a product originates, which procedures a customs officer applies at the border, and how a payment crosses from one African country to another.

Monday 17 August in was one long day of exactly that.
The morning began at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, with H.E. Amb. Gamal Mohamed Hassan and the Secretariat’s teams for trade in goods, trade in services and private-sector engagement: tariff concessions, rules of origin, customs procedures, payments. Then a press point, and questions from the Somali press.

Midday brought H.E. Abdisalam Abdi Ali, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Early afternoon, the Office of the Prime Minister, where H.E. Hamza Abdi Barre received the Secretary-General.

Mid-afternoon, the Federation of Somali Trade Unions and its Secretary General, Mr. Omar Farouk Osman, on inclusion, the informal economy and decent work.

The day ended at the table, at a dinner hosted by the Minister of Commerce and Industry.
Smiles, commitments renewed, and an exchange of gifts.

Four conversations in one day. This morning, the fifth: Somali enterprises and the Somalia Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
An agreement between States is worth what enterprises can do with it.

Six ans après l’installation du Secrétariat à Accra, six repères sur l’état de la mise en œuvre:1. Cinquante États ont r...
18/08/2026

Six ans après l’installation du Secrétariat à Accra, six repères sur l’état de la mise en œuvre:

1. Cinquante États ont ratifié l’Accord.
2. Vingt-six l’ont transposé dans leur droit interne.
3. Le commerce intra-africain a dépassé 220 milliards de dollars en 2024.
4. Le Système panafricain de paiement et de règlement est opérationnel pour les paiements transfrontaliers.
5. Le Fonds d’ajustement de la ZLECAf est conçu pour mobiliser jusqu’à 10 milliards de dollars.
6. Février 2026 : adoption des dernières annexes au Protocole sur les droits de propriété intellectuelle.

L’Accord ne se négocie plus. Il s’applique.

Six years after the Secretariat opened its doors in , six markers of where implementation stands:1. Fifty States have r...
18/08/2026

Six years after the Secretariat opened its doors in , six markers of where implementation stands:

1. Fifty States have ratified the Agreement.
2. Twenty-six have domesticated it into national law.
3. Intra-African trade exceeded USD 220 billion in 2024.
4. The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System is operational for cross-border payments.
5. The AfCFTA Adjustment Fund is designed to mobilise up to USD 10 billion.
6. February 2026: the remaining annexes to the Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights were adopted.

The Agreement is no longer being negotiated. It is being applied.

Le 17 août 2020, à Accra, le Gouvernement et le peuple ghanéens remettaient les clés de l’Africa Trade House à la Commis...
17/08/2026

Le 17 août 2020, à Accra, le Gouvernement et le peuple ghanéens remettaient les clés de l’Africa Trade House à la Commission de l’Union africaine. Le bâtiment allait devenir le siège du Secrétariat de la .

Ce jour-là, le Secrétaire général Wamkele Mene adressait un signal clair aux investisseurs internationaux : « L’Afrique est ouverte aux affaires, avec les mêmes règles pour tous en matière de commerce et d’investissement. »

Six ans plus t**d, ces règles communes s’écrivent dans les législations nationales et dans la pratique quotidienne des échanges. Cinquante États ont ratifié l’Accord. Vingt-six l’ont transposé dans leur droit interne. Le commerce intra-africain a dépassé 220 milliards de dollars en 2024.

Un bâtiment se remet en une journée. Un marché commun se construit chaque jour.

The Secretariat led by its Chief of Staff, Mr. supported by Mr. Themba Khumalo, Director of the Private Sector Unit, ...
17/08/2026

The Secretariat led by its Chief of Staff, Mr. supported by Mr. Themba Khumalo, Director of the Private Sector Unit, received a two-member delegation from TradeMark Africa Africa led by Ms. Allen S. Asiimwe, Chief of Programmes and Deputy CEO, supported by TMA Country Director for Abidjan and Francophone WA, Ms. Linda Carole Tiemoko on 13th August 2026 in Accra, Ghana.

The discussions focused on areas of mutual interest of the AfCFTA/TMA partnership.

Africa’s Unseen Transformation: Watch the Full Episode Have you watched the full conversation yet? In the latest , Gi...
15/08/2026

Africa’s Unseen Transformation: Watch the Full Episode

Have you watched the full conversation yet?

In the latest , Gilberto Antonio explores how the AfCFTA Protocols on Digital Trade, Investment and Intellectual Property Rights are creating stronger foundations for African businesses to trade, invest, innovate and expand across one African market.

From stronger connectivity and interoperable systems to investment frameworks, digital skills and intellectual property protection, the conversation looks at what these Protocols mean in practice for businesses across the continent.

The full episode is now available on YouTube. Watch now and discover how the AfCFTA is turning the vision of one African market into practical opportunities;

https://youtu.be/fecznEdoKaw?si=zO-Z_xOGAlQwlIwt

14/08/2026

From Manufacturing Trains For Local Supply To Developing A Strategy To Serve Markets Across Africa

H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General, visited Gibela's train manufacturing facility in Nigel, South Africa. Gibela manufactures trains for local supply and is developing an African strategy to manufacture and export trains across the continent.

The discussions focused on how this opportunity could be pursued under the AfCFTA framework, with support from African Development Finance Institutions.

Cost-effective infrastructure for the movement of persons and cargo across borders remains a cornerstone of the success of the AfCFTA. Gibela has a contribution to make to a more connected and industrialised Africa.

14/08/2026

What slows African trade is not only what is charged at the border. It is what happens while goods wait there.

In Abuja, the AfCFTA Secretariat and Bergmans signed the Concession Agreement for the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project. The principle is simple: declared once, recognised along the route.

The video also visits the Nigeria Customs Service — where systems like this are actually run. Customs administration remains a national competence. Participation is a decision for each State Party.




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Ce qui ralentit le commerce africain, ce n’est pas seulement ce que l’on paie à la frontière. C’est ce que l’on y attend.

À Abuja, le Secrétariat de la ZLECAf et Bergmans ont signé l’accord de concession du Projet de modernisation douanière de la ZLECAf. Le principe : déclarée une fois, reconnue tout au long du trajet.

La vidéo suit aussi la délégation au Nigeria Customs Service — là où ces systèmes se pilotent réellement. La douane reste une compétence nationale. La participation relève de la décision de chaque État partie.

13/08/2026

Powering Africa’s Trade Future Through Digital Trade, Investment and Innovation

Africa is building stronger foundations for businesses to trade, invest, innovate and expand across one African market as implementation advances on the Protocols on Digital Trade, Investment and Intellectual Property Rights.

From interoperable national systems and improved digital skills to stronger connectivity, investment frameworks and intellectual property protection, these Protocols are helping create an enabling environment for African enterprises to access opportunities beyond their national borders.

In the latest episode of the , Gilberto Antonio, Chief Technical Advisor in the Office of the Secretary-General responsible for Digital Trade, Investment and Intellectual Property Rights, explains how these three Protocols are empowering businesses and transforming how Africa trades.

Watch the full episode and discover how the AfCFTA is turning the vision of one African market into practical opportunities for African businesses;
https://youtube.com/?si=_p-kw4mPgzH60oMU

“Training alone is not enough. Businesses need continued access to buyers, market intelligence, finance, logistics provi...
12/08/2026

“Training alone is not enough. Businesses need continued access to buyers, market intelligence, finance, logistics providers and commercial partners if they are to succeed beyond the workshop room.”
- Cynthia E.Gnassingbe - Essonam, Director, Private Sector Engagement and Communications, AfCFTA Secretariat.

Speaking at the opening of the SME Booster Initiative - Southern Africa Regional Cohort in , Botswana, the Director, underscored the need to move beyond training by connecting SMEs to the resources, markets and partnerships they need to grow.

The ambition is to build a pipeline of export-ready African businesses and stronger Business Support Organisations that can drive trade across the continent.

implementation must ultimately be measured not only in policies and frameworks, but in businesses trading, partnerships being formed and transactions taking place.

This cohort is being implemented with the valued support of the European Commission, Better Than Cash Alliance, United Nations Development Programme - UNDP and the International Trade Centre.

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Africa Trade House, Cruickshank Road, West Ridge-Accra
Accra

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