Speakers of Africa’s National and Regional Parliaments have applauded the AfCFTA Secretariat for progressive efforts at creating the needed instruments, tools and platforms to accelerate the implementation of Africa’s single continental market.
The speakers of national and regional parliaments on the continent who were reacting to a statement by the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene at the 2025 Conference of Speakers of National and Regional Parliaments on the progress of the implementation of the AfCFTA, praised the recently held Intra Africa Trade Forum which was co-convened by the AfCFTA Secretariat, Afreximbank and the Africa Union as an example of the immense efforts being made to bring African businesses to trade among themselves within the continent.
In his address at the 2025 Conference of Speakers of the national and regional parliaments, the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Mr Mene reported that strong momentum has been garnered through the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) and by June 2025, 8,561 AfCFTA Certificates of Origin had been issued, up from 2,850 in 2024 and just 13 in 2022, signifying strong private sector uptake and demonstrates the Agreement’s effectiveness in unlocking intra-African trade.
He said Intra-African trade rose to US$220.3 billion in 2024, which is a 12.4% rebound.
“Beyond the numbers, the composition of trade is shifting. Notably, industrial output, including machinery, vehicles, food products, chemicals, and electronics, is gaining ground over primary commodities. This signals a gradual but critical transition toward diversification. However, intra-African trade still fell US$77 billion short of potential, reminding us of the need for investment for transport, logistics, and digital infrastructure”.
He said the AfCFTA is making progress in trade in services as twenty-four Schedules of Commitments have already been adopted in key sectors such as business, finance, communication, tourism, and transport, alongside regulatory frameworks to create predictability.
“We are also developing guidelines for Mutual Recognition Agreements so that professionals can operate across borders with ease.”
The Secretary-General added that in agro-processing, new initiatives are linking farmers, processors, and traders, while programmes like the Fisheries initiative, targeting women and youth across multiple countries, are creating jobs and boosting exports and in textiles and apparel, a continental action plan has been developed with private sector input.
“The automotive industry is another priority. Working with Afreximbank and industry associations, we have launched the AfCFTA Automotive Strategy backed by a US$1 billion facility. With rules of origin nearly finalised, this sector has the potential to be a major driver of jobs, value-added manufacturing, and investment across Africa.”
The Secretary-General highlighted similar progress in pharmaceuticals and called for industrialisation to be inclusive with opportunities for Women, Youth and SMEs.
“Through the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade, the Adjustment Fund, and our private sector engagement strategy, we are ensuring that the AfCFTA delivers opportunities for those who need them most”,Mr Mene opined.
