Promotion of the Zlecaf: the African private sector invited to fully play its role

The African private sector has a central role in the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (Zlecaf). This was noted by the Secretary General of the Zlecaf Secretariat, Wamkele Mene. He was speaking, according to a press release from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), made public on May 26, 2026, during the 3rd edition of the Biashara Afrika Forum, which was held in Lomé.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (Zlecaf) presents concrete economic opportunities for Africans through coordinated and pragmatic implementation. However, according to the Secretary General of the Zlecaf Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, the African private sector plays a central role in the success of this initiative.

According to him, without “active participation” from businesses to connect markets, progress on the Agreement “will remain limited.” Thus, Mr. Mene highlighted the importance of digital trade tools, including digital payment systems, non-tariff barrier reporting mechanisms and electronic certificate of origin, to accelerate Africa’s trade transformation.

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For his part, the President of the Council of Ministers of Togo, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, considered that the Zlecaf is a vital instrument of economic sovereignty for the continent and called for immediate action to reduce transport costs and dismantle non-tariff barriers to trade.

This three-day forum reports that the ECOWAS document proposed thematic sessions on the implementation of the AfCFTA, covering agriculture and food security, trade finance and digital payments, harmonization of standards and non-tariff barriers.

Discussions focused on strategies to integrate smallholder farmers into regional value chains, expand SME access to trade finance, align national standards with the AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Goods, and leverage the non-tariff barrier notification mechanism to address market access barriers in real time.

Mariama DIEME