LocationsFrom Negotiation to Implementation: Turning the AfCFTA into Opportunities for Africa's Businesses
June 29, 2026
For years, the conversation around the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has centred on negotiations: protocols, tariff schedules, rules of origin and legal frameworks. That work remains important, but the continent is now entering a different phase. The question is no longer whether the AfCFTA exists. It is how businesses, particularly micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), can maximize its benefits.
This shift from negotiation to implementation was a defining message of Biashara Afrika 2026, held in Lomé, Togo, under the theme "Powering Africa's Economic Transformation through the AfCFTA." The forum convened 1,900 participants, including policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors and development partners, to move the focus from policy commitments to practical solutions that enable trade.
The conversations reflected an important reality: implementation is ultimately measured not by agreements signed, but by businesses crossing borders, accessing markets, securing finance, complying with standards and participating in regional value chains.
Implementation cannot be achieved by governments alone. Across policy dialogues, technical sessions and business engagements, the forum consistently returned to one core message: MSMEs must be central to the effort. These enterprises are the overwhelming majority of African businesses and employ millions, yet many face persistent barriers: limited market information, constrained finance, difficulty meeting standards, logistics bottlenecks and uneven digital readiness.
Success will depend on making implementation genuinely inclusive and responsive to traders' real needs. In the Women in Trade: Turbocharging Women Exports and Trade Opportunities session at Biashara Afrika 2026, jointly organized by the AfCFTA Secretariat and UNDP in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), participants emphasized that programmes should be better grounded in the lived realities of women entrepreneurs, particularly those in rural and peri-urban areas who often operate in the informal economy. They called for more participatory programme design, targeted business and digital skills development, tailored financing, simpler trade facilitation measures and stronger public–private partnerships to improve access to markets, standards and value chains.
Women cross‑border traders also pointed to persistent problems at the border: inconsistent application of customs procedures, difficult interactions with some officials and other barriers that raise costs and uncertainty. They urged more transparent, predictable and harmonized border processes alongside greater accountability and capacity building for frontline officials. Stronger legal recognition and collective market‑access mechanisms will be crucial to ensure the AfCFTA’s gains reach historically underserved women traders.
The diagnostic assessment framework will enable country-level assessments, recognizing that Africa's diverse contexts require tailored approaches. This will help design targeted interventions that make trade more accessible, inclusive, and beneficial for women across the continent.Gemma Matshediso Mbegabolawe, AfCFTA Secretariat, Principal Officer – Women and Youth in Trade
The business-to-business engagements showed what implementation looks like in practice. Entrepreneurs from across the continent showcased products, built commercial relationships and explored regional value chains. For many, these meetings were a first chance to directly engage potential buyers and partners, illustrating how trade promotion platforms can bridge the gap between policy and commercial opportunity.
As an entrepreneur, what I need is access: access to markets, buyers, and trusted partners. This platform provided exactly that, showing how the AfCFTA can create tangible opportunities for businesses like mine to grow across Africa.Happiness Nyiti, CEO of Deha Global (T) Limited
Delivery also depends on stronger institutions and partnerships. Regional discussions on the sidelines of the forum underscored the need for coordinated technical assistance, stronger national institutions and collaboration between governments, regional economic communities, development partners and the private sector. Effective implementation requires not only political commitment but also institutional readiness.
UNDP's engagement at Biashara Afrika 2026 reflected this integrated approach. Through initiatives supporting MSME competitiveness, women and youth entrepreneurship, digital trade, supplier development and regional partnerships, the focus has shifted toward equipping businesses and institutions with the capabilities to participate meaningfully in the continental market. The experience reinforces a lesson: policy support works best when matched with practical interventions that improve trade readiness and market access.
The AfCFTA’s success will ultimately be measured by whether entrepreneurs can access new markets, whether value chains become more integrated across borders, whether MSMEs, mainly women and youth, are empowered to trade competitively, whether businesses experience tangible reductions in the cost and complexity of doing business across Africa and whether these opportunities yield the much needed jobs for a prosperous Africa.
Biashara Afrika 2026 demonstrated that this transition is already underway. The challenge now is to accelerate it. Africa has negotiated its continental market. The next chapter is to ensure that businesses of every size can participate in it.
The future of the AfCFTA is being written in factories, digital platforms, border posts, logistics hubs and marketplaces across the continent, where implementation becomes opportunity and policy translates into prosperity.