If trucks remain stranded at borders, businesses buried under layers of bureaucracy and cross-border trade trapped in delays, restrictions and fragmented regulations, Africa’s single market vision risks remaining a political ambition without real economic integration.
That is the warning from Issoufou Mahamadou, former Nigerien President who is calling for a faster and more decisive implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
According to the former president , Africa cannot realistically build a competitive industrial and innovation-driven economy while non-tariff barriers continue to choke trade flows, slow cargo movement and increase the cost of doing business across the continent.
Speaking at the Biashara Afrika 2026 forum, Mahamadou called on African governments to urgently dismantle the bureaucratic bottlenecks, border restrictions and trade inefficiencies that continue to undermine the AfCFTA’s promise of transforming Africa from a raw-material exporter into a manufacturing, innovation and value-addition hub
The AfCFTA, he stressed was central to achieving the African Union’s Agenda 2063 vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful continent driven by its citizens.
The former president, who serves as the African Union’s AfCFTA champion, said Africa’s long-term competitiveness would depend on building stronger regional value chains supported by technology, knowledge transfer and innovation. He urged governments to prioritize industrialization and value addition to reduce dependence on commodity exports.
Mahamadou said investment in transport corridors, logistics systems and digital infrastructure was critical to unlocking intra-African trade and supporting manufacturing growth across the continent. He also highlighted the strategic importance of Africa’s critical mineral reserves in supplying materials needed for the global energy transition.
Mahamadou further urged stronger regional cooperation and greater support for Pan-African financial institutions to mobilize capital for infrastructure, trade and industrial projects aimed at deepening economic integration across Africa.
