Stakeholders under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are seeking to accelerate the development of Africa’s cotton, textile and apparel industry through deeper regional integration, expanded local manufacturing and increased intra-African trade.
The AfCFTA Trade and Industrial Development Advisory Council convened a workshop in Lomé on the sidelines of Biashara Afrika 2026, bringing together private-sector players, development finance institutions and industry stakeholders focused on strengthening Africa’s textile value chain.
Participants reviewed a report calling for the creation of integrated and vertically connected manufacturing ecosystems across the continent, aimed at increasing local processing of African raw materials while reducing reliance on imported finished goods.
Discussions centered on implementation strategies, including the establishment of a private-sector-led coordination mechanism, investment mobilization, improved trade facilitation measures and the development of sustainable industrial infrastructure and regional production networks.
The initiative reflects growing efforts by policymakers and businesses to use the AfCFTA framework to industrialize key sectors, create jobs and build globally competitive regional supply chains.
Africa remains a major producer of cotton but exports much of the raw commodity with limited local value addition. Expanding domestic textile and apparel manufacturing could help retain more economic value within the continent while reducing import dependence.
The workshop also highlighted the role of development finance institutions in supporting industrial projects, infrastructure development and access to capital for manufacturers operating within the regional value chain.
The AfCFTA, which aims to create the world’s largest free trade area by number of participating countries, has increasingly prioritized industrial development alongside trade liberalization as African governments seek to shift from commodity exports toward manufacturing-led growth.
The Lomé meeting is expected to enforce stronger regional production networks with improved market integration that would be critical to positioning African textile and apparel producers to compete globally while creating employment opportunities across the continent.
