AfCFTA Secretary-General Says Africa Must Integrate to Realize Potential

Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), stated that Africa cannot realize its potential if it remains fragmented. Seven years after the agreement was signed in Kigali, the AfCFTA has made institutional progress, but intra-African trade remains stagnant at 15% of total trade. Mene defended the bloc's achievements and outlined future prospects, emphasizing the need for deeper integration to unlock the continent's economic potential. The AfCFTA aims to create a single continental market for goods and services, with the goal of boosting intra-African trade and industrialization.

Global Impact

The AfCFTA's stagnation reflects broader challenges in African economic integration, including infrastructure gaps, non-tariff barriers, and political will. If successfully implemented, it could reshape global supply chains by creating a unified market of 1.4 billion people, attracting foreign direct investment and boosting intra-African trade.