The Strategic Role of National Trade Facilitation Committees in Advancing the AfCFTA: A Call for Action

Blog
October 26, 2025

Uganda's Strategic Leap into AfCFTA: Inaugurating the National Implementation Committee

In a resounding affirmation of Uganda's commitment to continental integration and economic prosperity, the Government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, has inaugurated the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) National Implementation Committee (NIC). This pivotal event marks a transformative milestone in our nation's pursuit of the vast opportunities presented by the AfCFTA agreement. As a multi-stakeholder body comprising 36 distinguished members—drawn from government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), the private sector, civil society, academia, and other key institutions—the NIC stands poised to operationalize Uganda's AfCFTA National Implementation Strategy. Launched by His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in December 2024, this strategy serves as our roadmap to harnessing the agreement's potential for inclusive growth and sustainable development.

Blog
October 26, 2025

Charting Africa's Green Trade Horizon: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the AfCFTA – Provisions, Gaps, and Imperative Reforms

Drawing from the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs), the AfCFTA's provisions offer a promising scaffold for harmonizing trade with ecological and social imperatives. However, from my experience in intra-African trade negotiations and commercial diplomacy engagements, I argue that these elements, while innovative, reveal critical gaps that risk diluting the agreement's transformative potential. This article examines the AfCFTA's SD provisions and annexes, highlighting their shortcomings in alignment with the SDGs, and proposes binding recommendations to strengthen state parties' commitments.

Blog
October 10, 2025

Analysis of the Use and Adoption of Geographical Indications and Quality Schemes under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Framework

Within the transformative framework of the AfCFTA, Geographical Indications (GIs) and quality schemes emerge as powerful tools to leverage the comparative advantages of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and their unique products and services. This analysis explores the adoption of GIs under the AfCFTA, the schemes in use, and their potential to enhance the trade ecosystem, with a focus on Uganda’s role within the East African Community (EAC) and the broader African market.

Blog
October 01, 2025

The Crucial Role of Trade Facilitation Reforms for East African Ports in Strengthening AfCFTA Implementation

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), launched in January 2021, represents a transformative vision for Africa’s economic future, aiming to create a single market for goods and services across 54 member states, with a combined population of 1.3 billion and a GDP of $3.4 trillion. For East African ports, which serve as critical gateways for intra-African and global trade, the success of AfCFTA hinges on robust trade facilitation reforms. These reforms are essential to unlocking the region’s potential, reducing trade costs, and fostering economic integration under the AfCFTA framework. As East Africa positions itself as a vital hub for continental trade, the role of its ports in driving efficiency, connectivity, and competitiveness cannot be overstated.

Blog
September 21, 2025

Igniting Africa's Economic Engine: Insights from the Lusaka Workshop on Accelerating AfCFTA Implementation

In the heart of Lusaka, Zambia, from September 15 to 17, 2025, a gathering of African trade luminaries convened under the banner of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) to chart the course for one of the continent's boldest ventures: the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This Regional Workshop, themed "Towards an Accelerated Implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement in Africa," brought together approximately 45 to 50 stakeholders from governments, private sectors, and development partners across Eastern and Southern Africa. As the dust settles on these pivotal discussions, the resounding message is clear: AfCFTA is not just a trade pact—it's a blueprint for lifting 30 million Africans out of extreme poverty and injecting $450 billion into the continent's economy by 2035.

Blog
September 14, 2025

Africa Trade Gateway: Building Trust and Seamless Trade Across Borders

The concept of an Africa Trade Gateway emerges as a pivotal framework to overcome these challenges, fostering trust, transparency, and efficiency to realize the full potential of intra-African trade. As a trade policy advisor and advocate for AfCFTA, I believe this gateway can redefine Africa’s role in global commerce, empower its entrepreneurs, and drive inclusive growth.

Blog
September 14, 2025

Advancing Africa’s Green Industrial Future: Insights from the IATF 2025 High-Level Forum on Sustainable Industrialization

From September 4–10, 2025, Algiers, Algeria, became the epicenter of Africa’s economic ambitions as it hosted the Fourth Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025). Among the fair’s many pivotal sessions, a high-level thematic forum convened by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, and Algeria’s Ministry of Industry stood out as a beacon of hope for Africa’s sustainable industrial transformation. Under the theme “Boosting Intra-African Trade for a Sustainable Future: Innovation, Value Addition, and Green Industrialisation,” this forum illuminated the critical role of green and competitive value chains in unlocking the AfCFTA’s potential and positioning African industries as formidable players in global markets.

Blog
August 28, 2025

Unlocking Opportunities for Zimbabwe’s SMEs under the AfCFTA: Insights from the National Workshops

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a landmark agreement connecting 1.3 billion people across 55 countries with a combined GDP of over $3.4 trillion, represents a transformative opportunity for Zimbabwe’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The National Workshops held on 25-26 August 2025 at the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare, organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MWACSMED), aimed to equip Zimbabwean SMEs with the knowledge and tools to leverage this historic trade agreement.

Blog
August 25, 2025