Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and AGRA have strengthened their strategic partnership to fast-track intra-African trade, with agriculture positioned as a key driver of farmer prosperity, value addition, and regional food security.
During a high-level event held on 14 February 2026, on the sidelines of the 39th African Union Summit, H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, and Alice Ruhweza, President of AGRA, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking a new phase of collaboration aimed at translating the AfCFTA’s legal framework into practical outcomes for African agricultural markets.
The renewed partnership comes at a critical stage in the implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement. With 50 countries having ratified the Agreement, focus is increasingly shifting from legal commitments to tangible implementation—particularly within agriculture, one of Africa’s most important economic sectors.
“The 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,” said H.E. Wamkele Mene. “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.”
The collaboration will support implementation of the AfCFTA Agri-Trade Action Plan, which outlines key interventions including reducing non-tariff barriers, strengthening trade facilitation, promoting value addition, and mobilising investment into regional agricultural value chains.
“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,” said Alice Ruhweza, President of AGRA. “This partnership is about making intra-African food trade work in practice—linking policy to delivery so that agriculture becomes a driver of inclusive growth, resilience, and shared prosperity.”
Through this partnership, the AfCFTA Secretariat and AGRA will jointly pursue practical, farmer-centred action to ensure agriculture fully benefits from integrated African markets, driving inclusive growth, resilience, and shared prosperity across the continent.
