ISSUE 12 | Policy, Progress and the People behind the AfCFTA

AfCFTA Ministers shift focus from policy to performance

The 18th Session of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers held in Abuja; Nigeria signals a notable shift in the continental trade agenda from negotiating agreements to delivering measurable implementation. The theme, "From policy to performance," reflects growing recognition that the success of the AfCFTA will ultimately be judged by increased trade, investment and industrial growth rather than the number of protocols adopted.

Key Discussions from the Trade Ministers' Meeting

• Accelerating Digital Trade: Ministers urged State Parties to fast-track the ratification and domestication of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol, recognising that harmonised digital rules will be critical to unlocking cross-border e-commerce, driving innovation, and strengthening Africa's digital economy.
• Expanding Opportunities for SMEs and Women: Deliberations highlighted the need to reduce the cost of exporting, simplify trade procedures, and improve market access for small businesses and women-led enterprises to ensure that the benefits of the AfCFTA are more inclusive and widely shared.
• Operationalising the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund: Ministers discussed practical pathways for Member States to access and utilise the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund to manage short-term tariff revenue losses, support vulnerable sectors, and facilitate a smoother transition to the continental free trade area.
• Strengthening Trade Logistics and Connectivity: Recognising that competitive trade depends on efficient transport networks, Ministers reviewed initiatives to improve air cargo connectivity, including the RwandAir cargo corridor, and called for the accelerated implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) to lower logistics costs and improve regional supply chains.
• Advancing Intellectual Property Protection: Discussions with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reinforced the strategic importance of implementing the AfCFTA Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights to protect African innovation, encourage technology transfer, and enhance the global competitiveness of African products, services, and creative industries.

National Implementation Committees (NIC) take centre stage as AfCFTA shifts to delivery

As the AfCFTA enters a decisive implementation phase, attention is increasingly turning to the institutions responsible for translating continental commitments into national action. This month, the third meeting of the AfCFTA Committee of National Implementation Committees (NIC) focal persons brings together representatives from AfCFTA State Parties, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the AfCFTA Secretariat for three days of technical discussions aimed at strengthening implementation across the continent.

While ministerial meetings often set the political direction, it is the National Implementation Committees that determine whether the Agreement delivers tangible results. These committees serve as the backbone of domestic implementation aligning national policies with AfCFTA obligations, coordinating action across government institutions and the private sector, and monitoring progress. Their effectiveness will ultimately shape how quickly businesses, particularly SMEs, can benefit from Africa's single market.

The meeting emphasised the growing focus on implementation.

Key discussions covered the following:

• The guide for the establishment and operation of National Implementation Committees, review implementation progress across State Parties and RECs, assess the status of national AfCFTA implementation strategies, and take stock of ratification of the Phase II Protocols.
• The discussions underscored one of the AfCFTA's most pressing challenges: while the Agreement's legal framework is largely in place, implementation remains uneven across Member States. As the AfCFTA moves from negotiation to delivery, strengthening National Implementation Committees is emerging as a strategic priority. Effective and well-coordinated NICs will be essential to translating continental commitments into concrete national reforms that remove barriers to trade, strengthen institutional capacity, enhance accountability, and create meaningful opportunities for African businesses to compete and grow within the single market.

Malawi advances the AfCFTA Implementation Review Mechanism (AFIRM)

Turning AfCFTA commitments into tangible results requires more than policy. It demands effective implementation. This month in Lilongwe, Malawi, that process is took centre stage as government officials, technical experts, private sector representatives, development partners, and the AfCFTA Secretariat come together to assess the country’s implementation of the AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Goods through the AfCFTA Implementation Review Mechanism (AFIRM). The review did a stock taking exercise of Malawi’s progress, identify implementation gaps, showcasing emerging good practices, and recommended practical reforms to strengthen the country’s readiness to trade under the AfCFTA. A key feature of the assessment is the active involvement of the private sector, whose firsthand experiences ensured that the review reflects the realities of cross-border trade from customs procedures and rules of origin to non-tariff barriers, trade facilitation, and access to trade information. By translating findings into action, the assessment aims to support reforms that lower the cost of doing business, expand market opportunities, and create a more predictable and business-friendly trading environment, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), helping Malawi unlock the full benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

In Libreville, AfCFTA Secretary-General H.E. Wamkele Mene engaged with government and private sector leaders to advance practical steps that will boost Gabon's participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area. Discussions focused on unlocking the country's industrial and export potential, promoting value addition, expanding market access beyond Central Africa, and creating new opportunities within Africa's 1.4-billion-person market. A key milestone was progress on the proposed One-Stop Border Post at Kye-Ossi, linking Gabon, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea to facilitate cross-border trade. The visit also reinforced the importance of regional cooperation, with discussions between the AfCFTA Secretariat and ECCAS paving the way for closer collaboration and a joint action plan to accelerate AfCFTA implementation across Central Africa.

 

Research Spotlight

Productive Transformation in Africa: Industrial policies for Sustainable Economic Development (Springer Nature), which has a chapter on AfCFTA. The author is Prof Arkebe Ouqubay, who is one of the Advisory Council members.

Key events

Brownbag Series on the AfCFTA Protocols

Join us on Tuesday, 14 July 2026 for the next session of the AfCFTA Brownbag Series, an ongoing platform for knowledge-sharing and dialogue on the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This session will focus on the AfCFTA Protocol on Investments, providing participants with insights into the framework designed to ensure the effective resolution of trade disputes and the smooth functioning of the Agreement. The discussion will explore the protocol’s key provisions, institutional mechanisms, and its role in fostering predictability, transparency, and confidence in intra-African trade as the continent advances its integration agenda. This session will bring together experts and practitioners to unpack practical insights on advancing intra-African trade and strengthening regional value chains.