ACCRA, Ghana – African policymakers and business leaders are urging deeper trade within the continent, highlighting intra-African commerce as key to unlocking economic growth.
The message anchored the Intra-African Trade Fair Business Roadshow held Tuesday in Accra, Ghana.
Dr. Gainmore Zanamwe, director of trade facilitation and investment promotion at the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), called for countries to move from potential to implementation.
“People don’t eat potential,” Zanamwe said. “We don’t just talk. We act, and the facts speak for themselves.”
He outlined the bank’s role in financing trade and infrastructure to help African businesses take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to create a single market across 54 countries.
He also urged Ghanaian stakeholders to develop bankable projects for presentation at the next trade fair.
Zanamwe highlighted Africa Direct Investment, a framework for channeling African capital into African projects, as a pathway to sustainable development.
The roadshow brought together the African Export-Import Bank, the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat and the African Union Commission.
The aim was to build momentum ahead of the fourth Intra-African Trade Fair, scheduled for Sept. 4 to 10, 2025, in Algiers, Algeria.
Wamkele Mene, secretary general of the trade area’s secretariat, said the free trade zone has grown from zero ratified members in 2018 to 49 participating countries.
He said the agreement is now delivering practical outcomes, including payment systems, infrastructure and trade facilitation tools.
Among the mechanisms are the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, the upcoming Transit Guarantee Scheme and the Africa Trade Gateway, designed to reduce barriers to cross-border commerce.
Mene said the 2025 trade fair in Algeria will showcase value-added products, technology and innovation from across the continent.
“IATF2025 in Algeria is where this grand vision becomes reality,” Mene said. “Where Africa trades in value-added products and innovation. Where young people find purpose.”
