LocationsFor Zambia, the National AfCFTA Institutional Strengthening Workshop represents far more than the successful conclusion of a week of technical training. It marks another important milestone in Zambia's transition from AfCFTA commitments to practical implementation.
From Commitment to Action: Why Strong Institutions Are the Missing Link to Unlocking Zambia's AfCFTA Opportunity
July 13, 2026
Participant at the training
UNDP/Rejoice Emmanuel
Trade agreements are often celebrated as milestones. They are signed, ratified and welcomed as gateways to new markets and economic opportunities. Yet, history has shown that agreements alone do not create jobs, increase exports or transform economies. The real work begins after the signatures.
It begins with institutions that understand the agreement, businesses that know how to use it, border systems that facilitate trade rather than delay it, financial institutions that enable cross-border trade through accessible finance, payment solutions and policies that ensure women and young entrepreneurs are not left behind.
This was the central message that echoed throughout the National AfCFTA Institutional Strengthening Workshop, organised by the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry (MCTI) with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Enhancing Capacities of Women and Youth-Led Enterprises for Regional Trade (ECoWYERT) Program. Far more than a technical training, the five-day workshop challenged participants to answer one important question:
How does Zambia move from signing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement to creating real opportunities for its businesses and people?
For five days, government institutions, the AfCFTA Secretariat, customs authorities, financial institutions, Business Support Organisations (BSOs), private sector representatives, women and youth entrepreneurs, development partners and SMEs gathered in Chilanga with a shared objective: strengthening the institutions that will determine whether Zambia merely participates in the AfCFTA or truly benefits from it.
Their discussions reflected an important reality. While the AfCFTA has established the world's largest free trade area by number of participating countries, its full benefits will only be realised through effective implementation. Preferential market access alone is not enough. Businesses must understand and comply with Rules of Origin requirements. Customs authorities must implement efficient and predictable border procedures. Payment and settlement systems must enable seamless cross-border transactions at lower costs and public institutions must coordinate effectively across sectors and agencies. Equally important, women and young entrepreneurs must have access to the information, networks and trade support services needed to participate in regional value chains and expand into new African markets.
Without these building blocks, the promise of the AfCFTA risks remaining just that a promise.
Mrs. Lillian S. Bwalya, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry,
UNDP/Rejoice Emmanuel
"The AfCFTA is not merely another trade agreement. It signifies an important transformative agenda that moves beyond the traditional trade in goods framework to include contemporary governance frameworks covering trade in services, investment and competition policy, digital trade, intellectual property and most recently, a legal framework that specifically focus on women and youth in trade."
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Her remarks reflected Zambia's progress over the past several years.
Her remarks reflected Zambia's progress over the past several years. Since ratifying the Agreement in 2021, the country has domesticated its tariff commitments, launched its National AfCFTA Implementation Strategy and introduced reforms aimed at making cross-border trade faster and more efficient. Coordinated Border Management, One-Stop Border Posts and investments in strategic transport corridors are already helping to reduce trade costs while strengthening Zambia's position as a regional trading hub.
Yet these achievements, important as they are, represent only the foundation. "The fruitful implementation of Zambia's commitments," Mrs. Bwalya noted, "is contingent on the success of key interventions being put in place to remove or reduce existing challenges to effectively seize opportunities under the AfCFTA, particularly for our women and youth."
Her message underscored the workshop's broader purpose: ensuring that trade agreements translate into tangible commercial opportunities for producers, exporters, manufacturers, farmers and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). That same theme was echoed by UNDP Zambia Resident Representative, Dr. James Wakiaga, whose remarks challenged participants to think beyond policy and focus on implementation.
"The real test of AfCFTA will be whether businesses can understand and use the Agreement; whether institutions can implement it effectively; whether enterprises can meet market and regulatory requirements; whether financial systems can support cross-border transactions and whether women and young people can access and benefit from the opportunities created by the continental market."
Dr. James Wakiaga, UNDP Zambia Resident Representative
UNDP/Rejoice Emmanuel
It is precisely this gap between policy and practice that the ECoWYERT Program seeks to bridge.
For Zambia, this means ensuring that a young entrepreneur in Kasama, a woman-owned agro-processing business in Chipata or a manufacturer in Lusaka can understand the rules governing continental trade, access digital payment systems, navigate customs procedures and confidently export beyond Zambia's borders.
These ambitions shaped every session of the workshop.
Participants explored the practical application of Trade in Goods, Rules of Origin, Trade Facilitation, Customs Administration, Trade Remedies, Digital Trade, the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) and the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade. Rather than viewing these as isolated technical subjects, the workshop connected them as parts of a larger system that must work together if businesses are to succeed in regional markets.
By the close of the workshop, participants had achieved more than deepen their understanding of the AfCFTA. They had strengthened partnerships, identified practical implementation priorities and reaffirmed a shared commitment to translating knowledge into action. That commitment matters because the success of the AfCFTA will not be measured by the number of agreements signed or policies adopted. It will be measured by the number of businesses entering new markets, goods moving across-border with ease andmore efficiently, value chains becoming more competitive and young entrepreneurstransforming opportunities into sustainable growth, employment and prosperity.
As Dr. Wakiaga reminded participants in his closing reflections:
"The success of AfCFTA will ultimately be measured not only by the agreements that are signed, but by the businesses that trade, the products that cross borders, the jobs that are created, the value chains that are strengthened and the communities that benefit."
For Zambia, the National AfCFTA Institutional Strengthening Workshop represents far more than the successful conclusion of a week of technical training. It marks another important milestone in Zambia's transition from AfCFTA commitments to practical implementation. It demonstrates what can be achieved when Government, the private sector, development partners, and trade institutions work together with a shared vision of inclusive economic transformation.
It represented a renewed commitment to ensuring that the country's AfCFTA journey does not end with ratification, but continues through stronger institutions, empowered businesses and inclusive economic transformation.
Because in the end, trade agreements open doors. Strong institutions are what enable people to walk through them.
About ECoWYERT
The Enhancing Capacities of Women and Youth-Led Enterprises for Regional Trade (ECoWYERT) Program is a five-year, multi-country initiative designed to facilitate participation of women and youth-led enterprises in regional trade under the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). This will be done through capacity-building, access to finance and ecosystem strengthening. In partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the program will be co-implemented by the COMESA Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB), the Better Than Cash Alliance (BTCA) and the Trade and Development Fund (TDF) across six countries: Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe from 2025 to 2030.