Africa-Press – Ghana. Mr. Alexander Kwame Nketia, Member, AfCFTA Committee on Trade in Services, says the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents a bold and transformative leap towards achieving Africa’s long-sought economic sovereignty and sustainable growth.
He said the agreement was far more than a trade deal, but a historic catalyst for deeper integration, tourism promotion, and job creation across the continent.
“AfCFTA is a strategic reset, a recalibration of Africa’s trade priorities to favour internal growth. With it, we are creating not just a market, but a common destiny,” Mr. Nketia noted.
Speaking at the maiden Intra-African Trade Expo in Lagos, Nigeria, he said the trade pact, now the largest free trade area in the world by number of countries, had seen widespread adoption since it was signed in Kigali in March 2018.
Currently, 54 out of 55 African Union member states have signed, with 47 having ratified the agreement.
AfCFTA brings together a market of 1.4 billion people, representing a combined GDP of over USD 3.5 trillion.
Mr Nketia said AfCFTA, designed to overturn a legacy of trade dependency on external partners, seeks to increase the currently low intra-African trade share, just 14 percent of the continent’s total trade, by eliminating tariffs, reducing non-tariff barriers, and enabling efficient cross-border trade mechanisms.
He said the Secretariat, headquartered in Accra and led by Secretary-General H.E. Wamkele Mene, had implemented major initiatives such as the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) and the African Trade Observatory to track and facilitate real-time trade data.
“PAPSS alone is expected to save the continent an estimated USD 5 billion annually by enabling local currency transactions and reducing foreign exchange dependencies.”
Mr. Nketia, also the Director for Product Development and Investment, Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), underscored the central role of tourism within the services sector under AfCFTA, pointing to its potential to become a key driver of inclusive economic growth and cross-cultural connection.
“Tourism is not just leisure. It is trade in services, cultural exchange, and SME development all rolled into one. AfCFTA gives African destinations the platform to connect, cooperate, and co-market like never before,” he added.
He noted that the maiden edition of the Ghana International Expo and Investment Forum, marked a new era of bilateral engagement and tourism-led investment.
“Organized by the GTA in collaboration with Judi Consult and other government institutions, the event highlights the growing synergy between Ghana and Nigeria in driving regional tourism and enterprise.”
“Our collaboration with Nigerian agencies demonstrates the AfCFTA spirit in practice, creating platforms where trade meets tourism, and SMEs from both countries gain direct access to each other’s markets,” Mr. Nketia stated.
He stated that under the AfCFTA, Ghanaian chocolate producers now ship duty-free to Kenya, Kenyan florists deliver fresh flowers to Lagos without 35 percent tariffs, and Rwandan coffee brands have broken into South African retail chains, among others.
However, he added that only 20 percent of rules of origin had been finalized, infrastructure gaps persist, and many SMEs still lack awareness of how to leverage preferential tariffs and trade facilitation tools.
The AfCFTA Secretariat estimates that trade costs in some African corridors were inflated by up to 30 percent due to poor transport and logistics infrastructure.
“Nonetheless, 72 percent of non-tariff barrier complaints submitted via the AfCFTA platform have been resolved within 30 days.”
“Key growth sectors identified include agro-processing, digital services, green energy, and logistics. The newly approved USD 10 billion AfCFTA Adjustment Facility is expected to support transitions in areas such as green hydrogen, critical minerals, and digital infrastructure. With only 20 percent of African laboratories ISO-accredited, the demand for quality certification services is also expected to rise.”
Mr Nketia said as Africa positioned itself for inclusive, homegrown prosperity, the fusion of trade and tourism under the AfCFTA framework offers a powerful roadmap toward continental self-reliance and transformation.
He called on governments to finalize the rules of origin by December 2025, expedite the rollout of the Adjustment Facility, and publish user-friendly tariff guides at all border posts, and urged the private sector not to wait for ideal conditions but to “pilot, iterate and scale.”
Supporting institutions included Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Trade, Ghana Enterprises Agency, Ghana Export Promotion Authority, Diaspora Affairs (Office of the President), Tour Operators Union of Ghana, Kasapreko Co. Ltd., and Africa World Airlines. Nigerian partners such as the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, NASSME, NASSI, and representatives from Africa Movie Awards also played key roles.
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