Accra, Ghana, 18 March 2025 — H.E. Wamkele Mene received H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, Board Chair of TradeMark Africa (TMA) and former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, at the AfCFTA Secretariat.

During the visit, H.E. Desalegn delivered a public lecture titled “AfCFTA as a Catalyst for the Realisation of Agenda 2063: Seizing Opportunities in a Changing World.” In his opening remarks, H.E. Mene underscored that the AfCFTA is not merely about trade, but a strategic instrument for Africa’s economic transformation. He noted that by building resilient regional value chains, the Agreement is driving industrialisation, job creation, and long-term economic stability across the continent.

H.E. Desalegn emphasised the urgency for Africa to move beyond its historical role as a supplier of raw materials. He observed that the continent has, for decades, exported commodities such as gold, oil, and coffee, only to import them later as high-cost finished products. He stressed that the AfCFTA must play a central role in reversing this trend by promoting value addition, industrialisation, and the development of regional supply chains.

He further highlighted that trade agreements alone are insufficient to deliver economic transformation. According to H.E. Desalegn, infrastructure development, sound trade policies, and accessible financing must work in tandem to create an enabling environment for African businesses to thrive.

A key outcome of the visit was the signing of a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the AfCFTA Secretariat and TradeMark Africa. The MoU outlines areas of cooperation aimed at:

• Advancing customs, transit and trade facilitation in collaboration with Regional Economic Communities, national governments and the private sector
• Enhancing trade and transport corridors, including the development of One Stop Border Posts, ports, and logistics infrastructure
• Supporting the development, harmonisation and mutual recognition of standards across the continent
• Identifying and eliminating non-tariff and technical barriers to trade, and streamlining trade-related processes
• Improving customs and border processes, including support for Authorised Economic Operators and coordinated border management
• Promoting digital transformation and e-commerce to support cross-border trade under the AfCFTA
• Creating a conducive environment for women, youth, and MSMEs to participate in intra-African trade
• Engaging with Africa’s private sector through policy advocacy, analysis, and support to SMEs in market access
• Supporting the development of regional value chains and investment promotion
• Enhancing capacity building and research through joint training programmes on trade facilitation and AfCFTA compliance

H.E. Mene reaffirmed the importance of the renewed partnership, noting that through this collaboration, the two institutions aim to build the systems, infrastructure, and policy frameworks required to make intra-African trade more efficient, inclusive, and globally competitive.