The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a single market comprising more than 50 African countries. Operational since 2021, it aims to gradually eliminate 90% to 97% of tariffs and non-tariff barriers in order to stimulate intra-African trade, industrialization, and the integration of small and medium-sized enterprises.
How are West and North Africa implementing their AfCFTA strategies?
From May 21 to 22, 2026, in Lomé, representatives from ministries of trade, regional economic communities, the private sector, chambers of commerce, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as several technical and institutional partners from West and North Africa will participate in a high-level regional workshop dedicated to AfCFTA implementation strategies.
This initiative is led by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), through its African Trade Policy Center and its subregional offices for West and North Africa, with financial support from the Open Society Foundations.
According to the ECA, the 50 African countries that have ratified the AfCFTA agreement are at different stages of its implementation. Furthermore, many of them are still facing challenges in harmonizing their national laws and regulations with AfCFTA requirements, reforming and strengthening institutional coordination
The purpose of this meeting is to assess progress made in implementing the AfCFTA, share experiences and best practices among member states, and identify remaining obstacles in order to define priority actions to accelerate the continent’s trade integration.
According to Ngone Diop, Director of the ECA Subregional Office for West Africa, despite existing constraints and challenges, West African countries have made remarkable efforts to implement their AfCFTA strategies.
“Ratifying the AfCFTA is not enough; we must prioritize its effective implementation. The ECA has supported 40 countries in developing their national strategies in West Africa, North Africa, and elsewhere. While constraints remain, successes have also been achieved regarding barriers and corridors, borders, tariffs, and non-tariff and trade barriers,” explained the director of the ECA Subregional Office for West Africa.
Against a backdrop marked by multidimensional crises and the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on global supply chains, discussions will also focus on the strategic role of the AfCFTA in strengthening Africa’s economic resilience and reducing the continent’s external dependence.
In Togo, the ECA contributed to the development of the national strategy for implementing the AfCFTA in 2019 and again in 2025, which serves as a framework for government policies.
Speaking on behalf of Togo’s Minister of Economy and Monitoring, Mensah Koffi welcomed the progress made in developing the new 2026–2030 national strategy.
“Our ambition is to make the AfCFTA a lever for structural transformation by genuinely strengthening our productive capacities, supporting innovation, and promoting better integration into regional value chains,” he stated.
The work is expected to result in common guidelines and strategic measures aimed at accelerating African economic integration through a more efficient, integrated, and resilient continental market.
According to ECA simulations, the full implementation of the AfCFTA could lead to a 45% increase in intra-African trade by 2045, representing nearly $276 billion in additional trade. The agri-food, manufacturing, and services sectors are among the main expected beneficiaries.