The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat has signed a partnership with Rendeavour, one of Africa’s largest private city developers, to expand industrial infrastructure and trade enabling economic zones across the continent as governments push to deepen intra African commerce under the single market agreement.
The agreement, signed on the sidelines of the Biashara Afrika 2026 forum in Lomé, Togo, positions Rendeavour as an implementation partner for projects tied to industrialisation, logistics and urban infrastructure linked to the AfCFTA framework.
Under the partnership, Rendeavour will work with the AfCFTA Secretariat in three areas including the development of Special Economic Zones, mobilisation of private investment for trade infrastructure, and support for industrial and logistics corridors connected to master planned cities and integrated manufacturing hubs.
The move seeks to bridge major infrastructure gaps that continue to limit trade within the continent despite the launch of the AfCFTA single market initiative.
With a combined gross domestic product of more than 3.4 trillion dollars, the AfCFTA is projected to generate an additional 450 billion dollars in income by 2035. Yet intra African trade still accounts for only 14 5% of the continent’s total trade, while Africa hosts about 230 of the world’s more than 5,400 Special Economic Zones.
The AfCFTA Secretariat and private sector investors say expanding industrial parks, logistics corridors, utilities and mixed use economic hubs will be critical to translating the trade pact into manufacturing growth and cross border supply chains.
“Africa is not only the fastest growing region in the world; with time it will also become one of the safest and most reliable destinations for investment,” said Stephen Jennings, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rendeavour.
“As we are beginning to see, this has profound implications for the movement of capital and know-how into Africa. As the first private sector implementation partner of AfCFTA, Rendeavour’s cities are recognised for their infrastructure and operating environments where investment, manufacturing and trade can thrive,” he said.
Rendeavour, which is backed by investors from the United States, Norway, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, operates large scale urban and industrial developments in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Its projects include Tatu City in Kenya, Alaro City in Nigeria, Kiswishi City in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jigna City in Abuja, Roma Park in Zambia, and Appolonia City and King City in Ghana.
The company said developments across its ecosystem are valued at more than 5 billion dollars and include 250 businesses, 10,000 mixed income homes and schools serving more than 6,000 students.
Rendeavour said the projects have generated more than 50,000 jobs over the past five years, with several companies using its industrial hubs as bases for expansion into multiple African markets.
Companies operating within the developments include Zhende Medical and Ariel Foods, manufacturers that export products to regional and global markets.
“The implementation of the AfCFTA requires strategic partnerships that can translate the opportunities of the Agreement into commercially viable industrial and trade ecosystems,” said Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat.
“Special Economic Zones, logistics platforms and integrated industrial infrastructure will play an important role in strengthening regional value chains, expanding manufacturing capacity and facilitating intra African trade. This partnership reflects the growing confidence of the private sector in Africa’s single market and industrial future,” he said.
The agreement is an increase in effort by African governments and private investors to shift the AfCFTA from a policy framework into physical infrastructure projects capable of supporting manufacturing, supply chains and regional commerce.
