The success of Africa’s single market will depend on whether national governments can translate continental trade commitments into domestic reforms, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat has warned.
Dr. Tsotsi Makong, Director of Coordination and Programmes at the AfCFTA Secretariat, said the agreement has moved beyond negotiations and now requires active participation from governments, regulators and businesses to deliver economic benefits.
“For the past four or five years, we’ve been in the kitchen,” Makong said on the AfCFTA Podcast, describing the negotiation period. “Now it’s time to get out of the kitchen and serve the meal.”
Makong said the Secretariat has completed much of the groundwork by supporting member states through negotiations, but implementation cannot be driven by the Secretariat alone.
“The meal has been dished, but someone has to pick the fork and knife and start eating,” he said.
The AfCFTA Secretariat is now focused on helping countries implement commitments under the agreement, including regulatory reforms, trade facilitation measures and capacity building.
Makong said governments must take ownership of the process through National Implementation Committees established under the agreement. The committees bring together ministries, government agencies, private sector representatives and civil society organizations to coordinate national implementation.
“This is a game changer because it ensures there is ownership at the national level and within the national governance structure,” he said.
The comments cites a major challenge facing Africa’s trade integration ambitions, moving from political commitments to practical changes that allow businesses to trade more easily across borders.
While more than 50 African countries have signed the AfCFTA agreement, Makong said awareness remains uneven, with knowledge often concentrated among trade officials and negotiators rather than businesses, traders and communities expected to benefit from the agreement.
“It is always not the case that advocacy and awareness is as widespread as one would desire,” he said.
He added that implementation requires reaching beyond government offices to border communities and informal traders, including translating trade information into local languages.
The Secretariat has already begun engagement at borders to help traders understand requirements under the agreement, Makong said, noting that many small-scale traders continue to face barriers that prevent them from participating fully in formal trade.
Africa’s informal traders, particularly women, stand to benefit significantly from simplified trade procedures under the AfCFTA, according to Makong.
He said some women traders currently avoid official border routes because of administrative hurdles and other barriers.
“If you have a regime in place under the AfCFTA that allows these women to formally go through the system without the difficulties, it should have serious impact on their trading,” he said.
Makong said regional economic communities will also play an important role in supporting implementation, with the Secretariat looking to build on existing structures rather than create parallel systems.
“We have to learn and benchmark and use the best practices at the level of the regional economic communities and then apply them into our own systems,” he said.
The AfCFTA, launched to create a continent-wide market covering 1.4 billion people, is expected to increase intra-African trade by reducing tariffs and addressing non-tariff barriers. However, analysts have pointed to infrastructure gaps, regulatory differences and limited business awareness as major obstacles.
Makong said stronger political backing from African leaders provides momentum for implementation, pointing to the creation of a Committee of Heads of State and Government on AfCFTA implementation.
He said the next phase will determine whether the agreement delivers meaningful economic gains for businesses and citizens across Africa.
“The Secretariat is here to support member states,” he said. “But everybody has a role to play in making this agreement work.”
