AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene has announced that intra-African trade is projected to reach $250 billion in 2026, up from $220 billion recorded in 2025, with 50 African countries now implementing the agreement and all supporting protocols concluded, reflecting the strongest foundation for continental economic integration since the trade pact came into force.
Mene made the announcement at the Invest Lagos 3.0 Conference in Lagos, where he also commended Lagos State for its growing role as a centre for Africa’s industrialisation and digital innovation. The figures represent a continent-wide shift in how African economies are trading with each other, driven by the accelerating implementation of the world’s largest free trade agreement by a number of participating countries
The Progress
The growth from $220 billion to a projected $250 billion in a single year is a signal of genuine momentum. Africa’s total trade in 2025 reached $1.4 trillion, with intra-African trade accounting for roughly 18 percent of total trade, a figure that has been rising steadily as AfCFTA implementation deepens. The optimistic scenario underpinning the 2026 projection is built on political stability, regional integration, targeted competitiveness reforms, and a stabilising global trade environment.
Mene described Lagos as Africa’s leading fintech hub and a major centre of innovation, noting that the continent’s digital economy is projected to grow to $712 billion by 2035. He said the expansion of the digital economy will create significant opportunities for entrepreneurs, farmers, and businesses through digital payments, improved connectivity, and emerging technologies.
He commended countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Rwanda, Kenya, Togo, and Congo-Brazzaville for taking steps toward easing travel restrictions for African business travellers, describing the freer movement of entrepreneurs and investors as a direct enabler of trade growth
The Barriers That Remain
The progress is real. So are the obstacles. Mene identified high trade finance costs, inadequate transport infrastructure, logistics bottlenecks, and restrictions on the movement of people as the major barriers limiting trade growth across Africa. He pointed to one particularly vivid illustration of the problem: transporting goods between Lagos and Abidjan, a distance of approximately 1,080 kilometres, can take up to 17 days due to multiple checkpoints and border-related delays.
Seventeen days to move goods across 1,080 kilometres is not a trade problem. It is an integration problem, and it is precisely the kind of structural friction that the AfCFTA was designed to eliminate. Despite the strong growth in intra-African trade, Africa’s economic landscape remains vulnerable to its overdependence on commodities, which exposes it to price volatility and limits the depth of value chains being built across borders.
What $250 Billion Actually Means
For context, intra-African trade still represents a fraction of what African countries trade with the rest of the world. Europe, Asia, and North America continue to absorb far more of Africa’s exports than the continent does itself. The $250 billion milestone, significant as it is, represents a share of total African trade that remains well below the levels seen in other integrated economic blocs.
Mene was direct about what is at stake: “Many African countries have lost market share in key international markets and face increasing trade barriers.” The implication is clear. As global trade becomes more fragmented and protectionist, Africa’s ability to trade with itself becomes not just an aspiration, but a strategic necessity.
The $250 billion target is within reach. The $560 billion that full AfCFTA implementation could unlock by 2035 is the destination the continent must keep in sight.
Africa Presents is a Pan-African digital magazine and monthly publication covering politics, business, economy, culture, tech, and the stories shaping Africa and its diaspora. Visit africapresents.com and follow @AfricaPresents for daily coverage and monthly themed magazine editions.
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