The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance trade implementation on the continent.
A statement by the Executive Secretary of ECA, Claver Gatete, on Tuesday said the MoU was signed at the Africa Business Forum (ABF 2025) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last weekend.
Gatete emphasized that both organizations are committed to fostering cooperation to support the effective implementation of the AfCFTA.
The MoU sets the stage for closer collaboration between the two institutions, with a focus on advancing trade integration, industrialization, and private sector development across Africa.
The agreement establishes a framework for ECA and the AfCFTA Secretariat to work together in key areas, including market access and trade facilitation, supporting the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade.
“We have the industrial and regional value chains, promoting industrialization and deeper economic linkages across African economies,” Gatete stated.
Training and capacity
He added that the partnership would involve training and capacity building to strengthen institutional and technical capacities for implementing AfCFTA policies, as well as enhancing trade logistics and cross-border efficiency.
- Through this partnership, both institutions have committed to joint research, policy development, and technical assistance to ensure that AfCFTA implementation is inclusive, effective, and beneficial for all African countries.
“The implementation of AfCFTA is a transformative opportunity for Africa, but its success depends on strong institutional partnerships. This MoU solidifies our commitment to working with the AfCFTA Secretariat to drive trade integration, enhance market access, and support Africa’s economic development,” Gatete said.
- AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, reiterated the significance of the agreement, highlighting that the partnership would enable the acceleration of AfCFTA’s operationalization by leveraging ECA’s expertise in trade policy, economic modeling, and capacity building.
“Together, we can create a more enabling environment for African businesses and governments to fully utilize AfCFTA’s benefits. With AfCFTA aiming to create a single African market of 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP of 3.4 trillion dollars, this MoU represents a crucial step in unlocking the full potential of intra-African trade,” Mene stated.
The partnership will focus on developing concrete trade facilitation programs, policy reforms, and capacity-building initiatives to ensure the smooth implementation of the AfCFTA.
What you should know
The African Union (AU) has officially endorsed Nigeria as the Digital Trade Champion for the continent under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Digital Trade Protocol.
- This recognition follows the Federal Government of Nigeria’s commendable efforts in promoting digital enterprise and innovation.
- During the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, which concluded recently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Nigeria’s proactive role in advancing the implementation of the digital trade protocol, adopted in February 2024, was acknowledged.
- In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, it was revealed that the protocol aims to develop eight annexes covering key areas such as rules of origin, digital identities, cross-border data transfers, legitimate public interest reasons for disclosing source code, online safety and security, emerging and advanced technologies, and financial technology.
In his annual report on the progress of the AfCFTA’s Digital Trade Protocol, former President of Niger Republic and AU AfCFTA Champion Mahamadou Issoufou praised Nigeria’s leadership for organizing the Digital Economy Roundtable in January. He highlighted the event’s pivotal role in advancing the digital trade agenda.
