AfCFTA Must Deliver Tangible Gains for Farmers – Wamkele Mene

Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, has stressed that the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will ultimately be measured by its ability to improve the livelihoods of farmers across the continent through value addition and expanded market access.

According to Mene, the AfCFTA presents a transformative opportunity for African economies to shift away from the long-standing model of exporting raw agricultural commodities toward building resilient regional value chains that generate jobs, boost incomes, and enhance food security.

“AfCFTA offers Africa a historic opportunity to shift from exporting raw commodities to building regional value chains that create jobs, raise farmer incomes and strengthen food security,” he said.

He made these remarks at a high-level event held on the sidelines of the 39th African Union Summit, where the AfCFTA Secretariat and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) formalised a strategic partnership through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

The agreement is designed to accelerate intra-African trade and unlock growth in the agricultural sector by translating AfCFTA’s legal and policy frameworks into practical outcomes that directly benefit farmers, agribusinesses, and consumers.

“Our partnership with AGRA is about moving from ambition to execution, ensuring that agricultural trade delivers tangible benefits for producers, processors and consumers across the continent,” Mene noted.

The collaboration comes at a critical phase in the implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement. With 50 countries having ratified the pact, focus is increasingly shifting from policy commitments to real sector impact, particularly in agriculture, which remains a major source of employment and livelihoods across Africa.

Central to this effort is the AfCFTA Agri-Trade Action Plan, which outlines targeted interventions such as reducing non-tariff barriers, improving trade facilitation systems, promoting agro-processing, and mobilising investment into regional agricultural value chains.

President of AGRA, Alice Ruhweza, underscored the importance of ensuring that trade reforms translate into real benefits at the grassroots level. She emphasised that without strengthening the productive capacity of farmers and agri-enterprises, the broader goals of the AfCFTA may not be fully realised.

“Trade will not transform Africa’s food systems unless farmers and agri-enterprises are able to produce competitively, meet international quality standards, and connect to reliable markets,” she said.

She added that the partnership aims to bridge the gap between policy and implementation, ensuring that intra-African food trade becomes more efficient, inclusive, and impactful.

Together, the AfCFTA Secretariat and AGRA are expected to drive a farmer-centred agenda that prioritises value addition, market access, and resilience within Africa’s food systems.

AGRA, an African-led institution, has since 2006 played a key role in promoting agricultural transformation by supporting smallholder farmers, strengthening local agribusinesses, and advancing food security initiatives across 12 African countries.

The renewed partnership reinforces a shared commitment to positioning agriculture as a central pillar of Africa’s economic transformation, ensuring that the continent’s vast agricultural potential translates into sustainable prosperity for its farmers and broader populations.