The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) secretariat are committed to enhancing cooperation to support the effective implementation of the AfCFTA.
This is according to a statement by the Executive Secretary, ECA, Claver Gatete on Tuesday in Abuja.
Gatete said that the commitment was made at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both organisations during the Africa Business Forum (ABF 2025) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
He said that the agreement set the stage for closer collaboration between the two institutions to advance trade integration, industrialisation, and private sector development across Africa.
He said that the MoU established a framework for ECA and the AfCFTA secretariat to work together in key areas.
He named the areas to include 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 industrialisation and deeper economic linkages across African economies.
“There is training and capacity building; strengthening institutional and technical capacities to implement AfCFTA policies.
“We also have customs and transit systems; enhancing trade logistics and cross-border efficiency, and private sector development; encouraging business engagement in intra-African trade,” he said.
Gatete said that through this partnership, both institutions had committed to joint research, policy development, and technical assistance.
He said that it would 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,”he said.
Similarly, AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, reiterated the significance of the agreement.
“This partnership will enable us to accelerate the operationalisation of the AfCFTA by leveraging ECA’s expertise in trade policy, economic modelling, and capacity building.
“Together, we can create a more enabling environment for African businesses and governments to fully utilise 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.
“The partnership will focus on developing concrete trade facilitation programmes, policy reforms, and capacity-building initiatives to ensure smooth implementation of the AfCFTA.,” he said.
