The Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, on Thursday in Algiers called on African Union member states to unite efforts to build a strong internal market through the AfCFTA in order to strengthen resilience and safeguard common interests in the face of current global challenges.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025), held under the patronage of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and attended by heads of state and delegations, Mene stressed that the global context is marked by uncertainty in trade exchanges, rising economic nationalism, and protectionist policies. These conditions, he said, compel African countries to act “with unity, determination, and speed” to consolidate a robust internal market that can boost the continent’s capacity to withstand shocks and defend its collective interests. He highlighted Africa’s structural challenges, particularly in transportation, underscoring the need to implement the Single African Air Transport Market, accelerate the rollout of support mechanisms such as the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund—set to be launched in Algeria in the coming days—and mobilize African investment in infrastructure, logistics, and transport networks.
Mene noted that these challenges are within reach, citing encouraging results: intra-African trade surged in 2024 to over $220 billion, up 12.5% from 2023, with a marked shift toward manufactured goods such as cars, processed foods, chemicals, and electronics. This shift, he underlined, signals Africa’s transition from a raw-material-exporting economy to a more industrialized one. To sustain this trajectory, Mene called for deeper reforms in transport infrastructure, industrial development, and the adoption of economic protocols such as the Digital Trade Protocol, which could create vast opportunities for African youth. He also praised Algeria for hosting the fair, describing it as “the most fitting country to organize this edition, given its long history of struggle for African unity and its pioneering role in the fight against colonialism.”
