A single African market delivers results when African businesses can trade, invest and build partnerships across borders. The private sector is central to making the opportunities of the AfCFTA commercially meaningful. Mr Rui, Chief of Staff of the #AfCFTA Secretariat, represented H.E. @MeneWamkele Mene, Secretary-General, at the Africa Business Forum & Gala Dinner 2026. He highlighted the need for predictable trade rules, stronger regional supplier networks and fewer barriers to market access, encouraging businesses to explore new African markets and use #AfCFTA arrangements where eligible. Held on 17 October 2026 in Accra under the theme “Advancing Intra-African Trade and Sustainable Business Growth”, the event aimed to recognise businesses and individuals contributing to Africa’s economic development and employment, celebrate leadership and innovation across sectors, and encourage connections that support sustainable business growth. #AfCFTA #CreatingOneAfricanMarket #PrivateSector

What will it take to turn the #AfCFTA into more trade, investment, industrial development and jobs across Africa? On 19 October, H.E. @MeneWamkele will deliver the keynote at @BKFVienna in #Vienna on free trade as a driver of Africa’s economic integration. Director @CEGEofficiel will join @LeenaHoffmann of @ChathamHouse for a panel on the progress, challenges and practical reforms needed to implement the Agreement. Organised with @OEFSE and VIDC, the discussion will look at trade facilitation, regional value chains and productive capacity. 19 October 2026 | 7 PM Vienna (CEST) / 5 PM Ghana (GMT) | Details & registration: lnkd.in/ecmRBuYZ #CreatingOneAfricanMarket #AfCFTA

Africa’s creative economy generates significant cultural and commercial value. Copyright, licensing and effective rights management are essential for creators and creative businesses to retain more of that value. Creators and creative businesses: be part of the conversation at #AAIPS2026. Register here: africaipsummit.com/registrat… #AAIPS2026 #AfCFTA #CreativeEconomy #Copyright #AfricanCreatives

Africa’s creative economy generates significant cultural and commercial value. Copyright, licensing and effective rights management are essential for creators and creative businesses to retain more of that value. Creators and creative businesses: be part of the conversation at #AAIPS2026. Register here: africaipsummit.com/registrat… #AAIPS2026 #AfCFTA #CreativeEconomy #Copyright #AfricanCreatives

Share your opinion on a continental platform on collective rights management. Join the #AfCFTA Secretariat on 26 October. On 26 October, 09:00–14:00 GMT, the #AfCFTA Secretariat convenes a virtual meeting on the concept of the ACMOF and seeks stakeholder inputs. Register: zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_… #AfCFTA #ACMOF

O comércio da ZCLCA já está a acontecer. O ecossistema de Empresas Comerciais da #ZCLCA conta agora com 20 empresas aprovadas em 10 países africanos, que operam nos sectores do agro-processamento, da indústria alimentar, da logística e dos produtos industriais. No dia 11 de Novembro, venha ouvir directamente, cinco Empresas Comerciais activas do Gana, Egipto, Ruanda, Chade e Quénia sobre como funciona o modelo, onde existem oportunidades comerciais e como as empresas podem participar como fornecedores, compradores ou parceiros. 11 de Nov. de 2026 | 09:30–12:00 GMT | Virtual EN | FR | AR | PT Reserve a data. Os detalhes de inscrição serão partilhados em breve. #ZCLCA #EmpresasComerciais #CriarUmMercadoÚnicoAfricano

The #AfCFTA Secretariat will host a webinar on National Trading Companies on 11 November 2026, bringing together five active Trading Companies to share practical experiences of trading and building partnerships across African markets. The session will run from 09:30 to 12:00 GMT. Read more: au-afcfta.org/2026/10/afcfta… #AfCFTA #IntraAfricanTrade #TradingCompanies

Le Secrétariat de la #ZLECAf organisera un webinaire sur les sociétés nationales de négoce le 11 novembre 2026. Cinq sociétés de négoce en activité partageront leurs expériences pratiques du commerce et du développement de partenariats sur les marchés africains. La session se tiendra de 09h30 à 12h00 GMT. Pour en savoir plus : au-afcfta.org/2026/10/le-sec… #ZLECAf #CommerceIntraAfricain #CommerceAfricain #SociétésDeNégoce #IntégrationCommerciale #MadeInAfrica

ان المبادلات التجارية في إطار منطقة التجارة الحرة القارية الأفريقية تتم بالفعل. تضم منظومة الشركات التجارية العاملة في إطار منطقة التجارة الحرة القارية الأفريقية حالياً 20 شركة معتمدة موزعة على 10 دول أفريقية، وتنشط هذه الشركات في مجالات التصنيع الزراعي، وتصنيع الأغذية، والخدمات اللوجستية، والمنتجات الصناعية. في 11 نوفمبر، استمع مباشرةً إلى ممثلي خمس شركات تجارية نشطة من غانا ومصر ورواندا وتشاد وكينيا؛ للتعرف على آلية عمل هذا النموذج، ومواقع الفرص التجارية المتاحة، وكيفية مشاركة الشركات بصفتها مورِّدة أو مشترية أو شريكة. 11 نوفمبر 2026 | 09:30–12:00 بتوقيت غرينتش | افتراضي الإنجليزية | الفرنسية | العربية | البرتغالية احفظ الموعد سيتم الإعلان عن تفاصيل التسجيل لاحقاً. #منطقة_التجارة_ الحرة_ القارية_الأفريقية #التجارة_البينية_الأفريقية #انشاء_سوق_أفريقية_موحدة

WEBINAIRE | 11 novembre 2026 Le commerce dans le cadre de la #ZLECAf est déjà une réalité. Le 11 novembre, écoutez les entreprises qui le font vivre. L’écosystème des Sociétés nationales de commerce de la #ZLECAf compte 20 sociétés agréées dans 10 pays africains. Cinq d’entre elles (#Égypte, #Ghana, #Kenya, #Rwanda, #Tchad) expliqueront comment le modèle fonctionne et comment les entreprises peuvent s’y associer comme fournisseurs, acheteurs ou partenaires. 09h30–12h00 GMT | En ligne | EN | FR | AR | PT Détails d’inscription à venir. #ZLECAf #SociétésDeCommerce #VersUnMarchéUniqueAfricain

🇲🇺 Maurice | Port-Louis Comment faire avancer la libéralisation tout en aidant les industries à s’adapter et à rester compétitives ? S.E. Wamkele Mene, Secrétaire Général du Secrétariat de la ZLECAf, a rencontré S.E. M. @RitishRamful, ministre des Affaires étrangères, de l’Intégration régionale et du Commerce international de Maurice, à Government House. Leurs échanges ont porté sur la mise en œuvre de la #ZLECAf, en tenant compte des vulnérabilités particulières des petits États insulaires en développement : calendrier de la libéralisation tarifaire pour les produits sensibles et compétitivité des industries locales. Ils ont aussi abordé les barrières non-tarifaires, la simplification des procédures commerciales et les chaînes de valeur du coton, du textile et de l’habillement. #Maurice #VersUnMarchéUniqueAfricain

Origin can be a source of market value. 🌍 Geographical Indications distinguish products whose qualities, reputation or other characteristics are linked to where they come from. Join the Stakeholder Engagement Meeting on the #AfCFTA Geographical Indications (GI) Agenda (#AGIA) as stakeholders engage around the objective of advancing a value-driven and high-quality continental market for African GIs. 📅 Thursday, 15 October 2026 🕘 09:00-14:00 GMT 💻 Virtual Meeting Register: zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_… Save the date and register to participate. #AfCFTA #GeographicalIndications #IntellectualProperty #CreatingOneAfricanMarket

#World Cotton Day exists because four African countries put it on the table. Benin🇧🇯, Burkina Faso🇧🇫, Chad🇹🇩 and Mali🇲🇱 took the proposal to the @wto in 2019, and the @UN recognised 7 October in 2021. This year the theme is transformation. Here is where the continent stands on it, and where it is already moving. Start with the gap. In 2024, #Benin sold about US$495 million of the same product outside the continent, Côte d'Ivoire about US$272 million and #BurkinaFaso about US$221 million. Across the continent, Africa imported about US$4.82 billion of cotton fabric. The fibre is here. The transformation is mostly elsewhere. Now the part that is changing. At the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ) in #Benin, cotton worth less than US$2 a kilogram is transformed into finished products worth €17 or more. Towels that once travelled from #Cotonou to #Asia before coming back to nearby Lagos are now made in Benin and exported straight across the border. Benin is working to raise local processing from 40,000 to 140,000 tonnes, with the energy infrastructure that expansion requires. That is what implementation looks like in practice: jobs, manufacturing capacity, and value that stays on the continent. The tariff is no longer the main obstacle. Duties observed on cotton apparel traded within Africa average 1.35 per cent, against a benchmark of 42.63 per cent for non-preferential trade. What decides the next step is spinning, weaving, finishing, energy, finance and skills. And the ambition goes further than the factory. Africa should not only manufacture for other people's brands. We should design, own, brand and distribute our own products. The Secretariat will keep supporting the investment that makes this possible. For operators: use the African Trade Gateway (ATG) to identify market opportunities, connect with potential partners and access trade finance, payments and logistics solutions across the continent. Check applicable duties in the e-Tariff Book and confirm that your product meets the #AfCFTA rules of origin. One thing you can do today. If you spin, weave, finish or stitch cotton anywhere on the continent, tell us where you are: we are mapping the middle of this chain and we will publish what we find. #WorldCottonDay #CreatingOneAfricanMarket #AfCFTA #Cotton #Manufacturing

🇲🇺 Mauritius | Pointe aux Piments Easier, faster, more predictable trade: that is what Africa’s single market must deliver for businesses. At the 2026 #Deloitte Africa Annual Tax Conference, H.E. @MeneWamkele , Secretary-General of the #AfCFTA Secretariat, discussed what implementationrequires: faster customs processes, fewer non-tariff barriers, better logistics and greater regulatory alignment. The private sector is central to turning policy into economic impact. #AfCFTA #CreatingOneAfricanMarket

Plus de temps pour participer au 7e Sommet panafricain de la propriété intellectuelle. La date limite pour les demandes de stand d’exposition et les nominations aux Prix de la PI a été prolongée jusqu’au 20 octobre 2026. Présentez votre travail, échangez avec la communauté africaine de la propriété intellectuelle ou mettez en lumière l’excellence en matière de PI à l’occasion du 7e Sommet panafricain de la propriété intellectuelle. 📍 Nairobi, Kenya 📅 11–13 novembre 2026 🏆 Soumettez votre nomination : africaipsummit.com/nominatio… 💡 Réservez votre stand d’exposition : africaipsummit.com/exhibitio… L’opportunité est toujours ouverte. Réservez votre place à l’AAIPS 2026. #AAIPS2026 #ZLECAf #PropriétéIntellectuelle #Innovation #UnMarchéAfricainUnique

More time to be part of #AAIPS 2026. The deadline for exhibition stand applications and nominations for the IP Awards has been extended to 20 October 2026. Showcase your work, connect with Africa’s IP community, or recognise excellence in intellectual property at the 7th All Africa Intellectual Property Summit. 📍 Nairobi, Kenya 📅 11–13 November 2026 🏆 Submit your nomination: africaipsummit.com/nominatio… 💡 Reserve your exhibition stand: africaipsummit.com/exhibitio… The opportunity is still open. Take your place at AAIPS 2026. #AAIPS2026 #AfCFTA #IntellectualProperty #Innovation #CreatingOneAfricanMarket

What would make cross-border trade work better for women? Across Southern Africa, women are already trading across borders. On 13 October, the #AfCFTA Secretariat will bring together the trade support ecosystem to strengthen networks supporting women in cross-border trade and contribute to implementation of the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade. 📅 13 October 2026 | ⏰ 10:00 AM GMT | 💻 Virtual Register to participate: zoom.us/meeting/register/Flu… #WomenInTrade #CrossBorderTrade #CreatingOneAfricanMarket

Africa produces. The opportunity is to trade more of what we produce within Africa. The #AfCFTA Agri-Trade Action Plan sets the priorities. The Continental Technical Consultation on its Implementation Roadmap is underway, bringing together Member States, RECs, Development Partners, the Private Sector and Technical Experts to translate those priorities into a costed and actionable roadmap. With nine priority value chains, including maize, rice, fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, cashew and cotton, the focus is on stronger regional value chains, greater investment and more intra-African agricultural trade. From priorities to implementation. From farm to African market. #AgriTrade #AfricanTrade #Agriculture #Agenda2063

The #AfCFTA Secretariat has launched the North Africa Regional Cohort of the SME Booster Programme in #Tunis, #Tunisia. Speaking at the opening, H.E. Samir Abid, Tunisia's Minister of Trade and Export Development, noted that intra-African trade is key to building stronger, more resilient economies across the continent. The programme equips SMEs and BSOs with practical tools across export readiness, standards, digital trade, finance, logistics and market access. #AfCFTA #IntraAfricanTrade #SMEBooster #Tunis