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AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, has called for urgent acceleration of Africa’s economic integration, citing rising intra-African trade but warning that poor connectivity and uneven benefits risk undermining progress.
Speaking at the opening of the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025) in Algiers, Mene said intra-African trade rose to $220.3 billion in 2024, a 12.4 percent increase from 2023, according to Afreximbank’s African Trade Report.
He noted a gradual shift away from raw commodities toward machinery, vehicles, chemicals, electronics and food products, signalling movement toward industrial diversification that he said could only be sustained by stronger logistics and manufacturing value chains.
Mene identified key challenges, stressing that too many delegates had to transit through Europe to reach Algiers, which highlighted the urgency of implementing the Single African Air Transport Market and investing in trade corridors and digital infrastructure.
He announced that the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund, designed to cushion short-term revenue losses and help businesses adapt, would be officially launched during the fair.
He also urged governments to channel diaspora remittances and domestic capital into priority value chains such as agro-processing, automotive, pharmaceuticals and digital industries.
Mene further emphasised that Africa’s economic transformation must be green, saying the AfCFTA was not just about more trade, but about better trade that supports renewable energy, sustainable industries and climate resilience.
The Algiers trade fair, themed “Gateway to New Opportunities,” is expected to attract more than 35,000 participants and 2,000 exhibitors and generate over $44 billion in trade and investment deals.
Mene said the AfCFTA had already laid critical foundations through protocols such as rules of origin, the e-Certificate of Origin, the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System and the Digital Trade Protocol, which he said could create millions of jobs for Africa’s youth if fully implemented.
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