Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Wamkele Mene says the agreement provides an extra-ordinary opportunity for Africa to add value to its agricultural produce for the benefit of farmers.

He says, “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 was speaking at a high-level event over the weekend on the margins of the 39th African Union Summit during which the AfCFTA Secretariat and AGRA signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to fast-track intra-African trade and agricultural growth.

The MoU seeks to translate the AfCFTA legal framework into practical outcomes for African agricultural markets.

“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,” Secretary-General Mene said.

The partnership comes at a pivotal moment as Africa advances implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement. With 50 countries having ratified the Agreement, attention shifts from legal commitment to practical implementation, particularly in agriculture.

Through the AfCFTA Agri-Trade Action Plan, which proposes several interventions, including reducing non-tariff barriers, improving trade facilitation, promoting value addition, and mobilising investment in regional agricultural value chains, the collaboration will advance agricultural trade under the AfCFTA.

“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.”

She said together, the AfCFTA Secretariat and AGRA will drive this partnership toward practical, farmer-centred action, enabling agriculture to fully leverage integrated African markets and deliver inclusive growth, resilience, and shared prosperity across the continent.

The AfCFTA Secretariat and AGRA reinforced their strategic partnership to accelerate intra-African trade, positioning agriculture as a central engine of farmer prosperity, value addition, and regional food security.

AGRA is an African-led institution focused on scaling agricultural innovations that help smallholder farmers towards increased incomes, better livelihoods, and improved food security.

Since 2006, AGRA has worked with its partners, governments, non-governmental organisations, private-sector businesses, and others to deliver a set of proven solutions for smallholder farmers and indigenous African agricultural enterprises.

AGRA catalyses and sustains an inclusive agricultural transformation to increase incomes and enhance food security in 12 countries.

The African Continental Free Trade Area, established in 2018, aims to create a single market for goods and services across Africa, promote economic integration among African Union Member States, and significantly increase intra-African trade to support sustainable development.