Three days of summits, signings, negotiations, and full-scale economic demonstrations. In Lomé, Biashara Afrika 2026 did not only talk about African integration. The forum aimed to show how to build a continental market capable of carrying weight in the global economy. More than 1,900 participants, dozens of strategic agreements and one guiding principle: move from speeches to production lines, from borders to trade corridors, from ambitions to transactions. From ministerial palaces to the stands of the AfCFTA commercial village, an immersion into an Africa that is now trying to sell, process, and finance in an African way.
Intra-African trade still accounts for less than 20% of the continent’s total trade, despite Africa already having a market of more than 1.4 billion people, projected to reach almost 2.5 billion by 2050. In Lomé, Biashara Afrika 2026 sought to demonstrate how the AfCFTA can help Africa process its raw materials locally, at a time when the continent produces nearly 70% of the world’s cocoa yet captures less than 5% of the value of the global chocolate market, estimated at over US$100 billion. Held under the theme ‘Driving Africa’s Economic Transformation through the AfCFTA’, the forum focused on industrialisation, regional value chains, investment, and cooperation between governments and the private sector.
‘Africa must therefore strengthen its collective capacity for resilience. In this regard, the AfCFTA is far more than a trade agreement. It is an instrument of continental economic sovereignty. It must enable Africa to produce more locally, better secure its strategic supplies, strengthen its industrial capacity and, above all, enhance its bargaining power in the global economy.’
Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Council – Togo
For the African Union Champion for the AfCFTA, the challenge now goes beyond political declarations. Eight protocols covering trade, investment, services, the digital economy, and the inclusion of women and young people have already been negotiated, but their implementation remains uneven across African countries.
‘The protocols cover trade in goods, trade in services, dispute settlement, intellectual property, competition, investment, e-commerce, and women and young people in trade. States must swiftly incorporate these various protocols into their national legislation. This is one of the conditions required for the African Continental Free Trade Area to achieve its full impact on the continent’s economic transformation. We have two major assets to achieve that transformation. The first is our demographic dividend, and the second is our natural resources.’
Mahamadou Issoufou, AU Champion for the African Continental Free Trade Area – Niger
Africa’s integration is now being shaped through road corridors, border posts, customs platforms and payment systems, with infrastructure financing needs estimated at US$9 trillion between 2024 and 2033 under Agenda 2063. In Lomé, discussions stressed the urgent need to accelerate investment in roads, ports, railways, energy and digital infrastructure in order to turn the AfCFTA into a fully operational market.
‘So far, 50 State Parties have ratified the Agreement establishing the AfCFTA, reflecting the continent’s strong ownership of the AfCFTA integration agenda. Twenty-six of those State Parties have already begun trading under the AfCFTA rules, demonstrating that the AfCFTA framework is indeed becoming the market we seek to build.’Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat – South Africa
‘The AfCFTA has therefore progressed at an extraordinary pace. No other African instrument has secured 50 ratifications in such a short period of time. We therefore believe this is a major achievement. By June last year, more than 8,500 certificates of origin had already been issued. Once again, this shows that the AfCFTA is now in action. No other African institution or initiative has enjoyed this level of momentum.’Georges Elombi, President of Afreximbank – Cameroon
Beyond opening up the continental market, the AfCFTA is also putting in place its own financial instruments. The AfCFTA Adjustment Fund, established to support the practical implementation of the African single market, is built around three mechanisms: a Base Fund for Member States, a General Fund dedicated to infrastructure, and a Credit Fund aimed at African businesses. Afreximbank has already mobilised €10 million in grant funding for the Base Fund and €1 billion for the Credit Fund to help African companies modernise their production capacity, integrate into regional value chains and expand into new markets.
‘This Fund supports the most impactful economic instrument in Africa’s history today: the AfCFTA. It means you can generate returns while doing good, and it will also enhance your profile. We have US$1 billion available through the Credit Fund and US$10 billion through the Base Financing Fund, and we would be delighted to welcome more participants.’Emeka Uzomba, Director of the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund – Nigeria
The mechanism primarily targets SMEs, women entrepreneurs, young people and countries whose GDP accounts for less than 4% of Africa’s combined GDP. SMEs already generate nearly 40% of the continent’s GDP and are one of the key pillars of Africa’s future industrialisation, although the Fund prioritises their integration into regional supply chains rather than large-scale direct financing. Officials from the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund stress that the objective is not to compensate indefinitely for losses arising from trade liberalisation, but to finance the continent’s economic adjustment. Governments can apply for funding to support reforms, technical assistance, regulatory upgrades and trade infrastructure, while businesses can access financing to expand their industrial capacity and strengthen their regional competitiveness.
On the forecourt of the Lomé Congress Centre, the Togo Village and the AfCFTA Market brought together producers, traders, processors and young businesses showcasing products manufactured across the continent. Textiles, agri-food products, cosmetics, handicrafts and digital solutions all featured prominently. Behind every stand was the same ambition: to process more African raw materials locally in order to retain greater added value within the continent.
‘What BIASHARA AFRIKA has brought us is tremendous visibility as young baristas, giving us the opportunity to showcase what we have in Togo, train young baristas and introduce Togolese coffee to our partners, such as the Coffee and Cocoa Sector Coordination Committee, which has supported us in promoting this initiative.’
Mawulolo Gnawole, Secretary-General of the Kawa-Togo Cooperative – Togo
‘We have our computers here, and we manufacture them in Lomé. We produce our own motherboards, from which we build our computers. We also manufacture portable and standard ultrasound scanners. The portable units are designed for ambulances and for doctors making home visits, allowing them to perform ultrasound examinations for pregnant women. Our goal is simply to improve the quality of life in Lomé.’
Faize Rodrigue Lassissi, Administrative and Finance Director, Matrix Industrie Innovations – Togo
‘During the few days we have spent here, we have travelled around the country. We have seen the strengths of Togo as well as areas that still need further development. We have met people from different countries and built valuable connections. We have also discovered excellent products and explored how we can grow in Togo and along other trade corridors to improve digital payments, particularly through the African Trade Gateway. We held a meeting yesterday and were able to discuss how we can become involved in the African Trade Gateway so that banks and everyone working in financial inclusion can share the same vision. We will be able to make payments without them becoming an obstacle. When goods are shipped from one country to another, payment should no longer be a barrier. We will be able to work together and collaborate.’
Steven Adeoye, National Secretary, Association of Financial Inclusion Agents – Nigeria
The forum also opened discussions on competition within Africa’s future single market and the risk of imbalances between the continent’s economies. Sessions devoted to competition policy and competition law stressed the need to curb monopolies, protect local industries and support the most vulnerable economies as trade liberalisation is gradually implemented.
In Lomé, the cultural and creative industries also asserted their place in Africa’s economic integration, on a continent that is home to nearly 400 million young people aged between 15 and 35. Music, the audiovisual industry, fashion, digital content and festivals are increasingly emerging as sectors capable of generating jobs, income and cross-border economic exchanges.
‘We must live by the values that our parents and ancestors have passed down to us. Africa is rich because of those values. For me, the first step is to take stock and honestly assess why Africa has remained behind until now. We must ask ourselves what needs to change so that Africa can create greater value and move forward. Without such an assessment, we will fail to identify the first obstacle. The reason is that ethics are too often absent from our actions. Whether in music, politics or trade, ethics must come first if we are to make real progress.’A’Salfo, Lead Singer of Magic System – Côte d’Ivoire
At the conclusion of the forum, Biashara Afrika 2026 had served as a major platform for economic negotiations, with a clear determination to accelerate intra-African trade and strengthen the continent’s productive capacity. In this context, Togo announced a visa exemption for African nationals holding a valid passport, a measure intended to facilitate the movement of African entrepreneurs, investors and business operators. This momentum comes at a time when the continent’s average economic growth remains close to 4%—still well below the 7% target set under the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Beyond the agreements and announcements, the real challenge now lies in implementation: turning agreements into trade corridors, ambitions into industries and promises into jobs.
‘One of the key outcomes has been the partnerships that have been established. We have signed several Memoranda of Understanding, and all of these are aimed at accelerating the implementation of the AfCFTA. These agreements involve the private sector, large and small businesses, African and non-African companies alike, and they reflect our shared determination to harness the potential of this market of 1.4 billion people.’
Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat – South Africa
‘Biashara Afrika 2026 also made it possible to establish practical instruments to accelerate the implementation of the AfCFTA, including investment platforms and partnerships, business matchmaking opportunities, and trade facilitation initiatives.’
Badanam Patoki, Minister of Economy and Strategic Foresight – Togo
In Lomé, Togo, Biashara Afrika 2026 brought together more than 3,000 participants from 48 countries around an African market of 1.4 billion consumers representing a combined GDP of more than US$3.4 trillion. Yet despite this continental ambition, intra-African trade still accounts for only around 15% of the continent’s total trade. The AfCFTA is now seeking to narrow this gap through industrialisation, regional infrastructure and financial mechanisms such as the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund, designed to support Africa’s transition from free trade to large-scale production.
