Cairo, Egypt, 16 September 2025 – On the margins of the 17th Meeting of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers, the Private Sector Business Forum: AfCFTA Trade Builders Beyond Borders was convened under the auspices of Egypt’s Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade and the AfCFTA Secretariat.

H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, joined Hon. Eng. Hassan Al-Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of Egypt, in the Forum’s opening. In his remarks, the Secretary-General commended Egypt’s steadfast contribution to advancing the AfCFTA Agreement and underscored the central role of SMEs, women and youth as the backbone of Africa’s trade future.

He highlighted the success of the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI), which has grown from just 13 AfCFTA Certificates of Origin issued in 2022 to more than 8,400 by June 2025, demonstrating the private sector’s strong interest in trading under the Agreement. He also noted the establishment of AfCFTA Trading Companies across nine countries, which are helping SMEs aggregate products, access markets and benefit from AfCFTA preferences.

H.E. Mene further emphasised the value of AfCFTA’s operational tools, including PAPSS, the e-Tariff Book, the Rules of Origin Manual, the Adjustment Fund and the NTB Online Mechanism, in enabling cross-border trade. He introduced the African Private Sector Hearings (APSH) as a new mechanism to ensure that grassroots and underserved businesses, including MSMEs, women and youth-led enterprises, have a voice in shaping the future of trade on the continent.

The Secretary-General expressed optimism that this Forum, held under the theme “Trade Builders Beyond Borders: Connect Africa NOW”, will deepen collaboration between African businesses and global partners, strengthen value chains and advance Africa’s economic integration agenda.