Lomé, Togo
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and the International Trade Centre (ITC) renewed their partnership Monday to accelerate implementation of the continental trade pact and expand trade opportunities for African businesses, particularly small enterprises and women and youth-led firms.
AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene and ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton signed the memorandum of understanding in Lomé, Togo, on the sidelines of Biashara Afrika 2026, a forum taking place May 18-20 that convenes policymakers, business leaders, financiers and trade partners to strengthen intra-African commerce.
The agreement marks a shift in focus from negotiating the AfCFTA framework to supporting practical implementation and private sector-led trade across the continent.
“The success of the AfCFTA will ultimately be measured by the extent to which African businesses are able to trade across borders with greater ease and opportunity,” Mene said.
“This renewed partnership with ITC reinforces our shared commitment to creating practical commercial opportunities for SMEs, women and youth-led enterprises within the African market,” he added.
Coke-Hamilton said the renewed partnership aims to translate the agreement into concrete gains for businesses at a time of significant shifts in global trade.
“Our renewed partnership is about translating the AfCFTA into real trading opportunities for African businesses, especially small businesses, so they are better able to access new markets on the continent,” she said.
$22 billion opportunity anchors renewed push for intra-African commerce
ITC research projects that intra-African trade could grow by an additional $22 billion annually by 2029 under the AfCFTA, driven by tariff elimination and the development of regional value chains.
Key areas of cooperation under the renewed agreement include market access and trade facilitation, inclusive entrepreneurship, institutional capacity building and improved access to trade and market intelligence.
The partnership aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The AfCFTA, signed in 2018 and operational since 2021, is one of the African Union’s flagship integration projects. It brings together all AU member states into a single market of more than 1.3 billion people.
The renewed agreement arrives as global trade faces growing uncertainty, with both organizations emphasizing regional cooperation and collaborative development strategies as strategic responses.
