Speaking during a fireside chat at the 4th edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025) in Algiers, the Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, made a passionate call for Africans to view the AfCFTA not as an abstract policy framework, but as a real instrument designed to transform lives and unlock economic opportunities across the continent.
Under the theme “The First Mile to the Future: Reflections on IATF, AfCFTA, and the Power of Partnership,” Mene emphasized that the agreement was never meant for government officials or political elites alone. Instead, he said, it is for ordinary Africans — entrepreneurs, traders, youth, and small businesses — who must become the driving force behind its success.
“It must really be a living instrument that creates opportunities,” Mene said. “Probably the easiest thing to do is negotiate a trade agreement, but the most difficult part is to implement it in such a manner that opportunities are created.”
He cautioned against allowing the AfCFTA to become just another piece of paper that benefits only a narrow group of experts and bureaucrats.
“We do not want this to be just another trade agreement that we negotiate, that benefits trade lawyers or bureaucrats like me,” he added. “It must really be a living instrument that creates opportunities.”
Mene highlighted that one of the AfCFTA Secretariat’s priorities has been to work closely with partners, particularly the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), to design tools that support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), startups, and youth entrepreneurs.
“What we’ve done, working with Afreximbank very closely, is to identify tools that will enable SMEs and youth entrepreneurs to be part of the drivers of Africa’s economy,” he said.
His remarks echo a wider theme at IATF2025: that Africa’s future prosperity will depend not only on continental agreements, but also on how effectively they are translated into tangible opportunities for citizens. With unemployment and underemployment affecting millions of young Africans, the AfCFTA is increasingly being seen as a critical pathway to industrialization, intra-African trade, and inclusive growth.
The fireside chat drew participants ranging from policymakers to private sector leaders, who engaged on how partnerships and innovative solutions can ensure the AfCFTA delivers on its promise to create the world’s largest free trade area by population and number of participating countries.
Mene’s challenge to Africans was clear: implementation must move beyond rhetoric to real action, with SMEs and youth at the center.
