The Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, has called into question the widely cited statistic that intra-African trade accounts for just 15% of the continent’s total trade.

According to Mene, the actual figure may be significantly higher, largely due to the underreporting of informal trade and insufficient data on services.

Speaking at the Ghana Roadshow ahead of the 2025 Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) in Accra, Mene noted that existing trade data often fails to capture the full picture of economic activity within the continent.

“This figure likely understates the true scale of Africa’s internal trade, given the prevalence of informal cross-border activity, data gaps, and the limited capture of trade in services,” he stated.

He emphasized that AfCFTA is focused on changing Africa’s trade narrative by shifting away from the historical reliance on raw commodity exports. The goal, he said, is to strengthen regional value chains, establish industrial hubs, and implement policies that promote intra-African production and trade.

“By dismantling trade barriers and eliminating non-tariff measures, we are incentivizing industries to specialize and add value here in Africa,” Mene added.

The upcoming 2025 Intra-African Trade Fair, scheduled for September in Algiers, is expected to serve as a major platform for securing trade deals, attracting investments, and forming strategic partnerships.

The AfCFTA Secretariat will feature prominently at the event, hosting a dedicated pavilion to offer guidance and showcase the tangible impact of the agreement.

“Africa’s path to genuine, inclusive prosperity depends on stronger trade performance. IATF2025 is where this vision is translated into practical reality,” Mene concluded.