The #AfCFTA Secretariat and @africaipsummit partner to advance #IP for Africa’s Trade and Economic Transformation The #AfCFTA Secretariat and the All Africa Intellectual Property Summit have announced a strategic partnership to strengthen the role of intellectual property in advancing intra-African trade, industrialisation, innovation and Africa’s creative economy. The partnership will be highlighted at the 7th All Africa Intellectual Property Summit, taking place 11–13 November 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya. Read the full press release here: au-afcfta.org/2026/09/afcfta… #AAIPS2026 #AfCFTA #IPExcellenceAwards #AfricaIPMarketplace

Les nominations pour le prix d'excellence en Propriété Intellectuelle de l'#AAIPS ainsi que les candidatures pour Le Marché Africain de la Propriété Intellectuelle prennent fin le 30 septembre. Les parties prenantes de l'ensemble de la communauté de la #ZLECAf sont encouragées à participer. Prix de la PI : africaipsummit.com/nominatio… Exposition : africaipsummit.com/exhibitio… Prenez part aux opportunités offertes par les prix et le marché — et participez à l'événement #AAIPS2026 à #Nairobi. Inscrivez-vous ici : africaipsummit.com/registrat… #AAIPS2026 #AfCFTA #IPExcellenceAwards #AfricaIPMarketplace

Nominations for the All Africa IP Excellence Awards and applications for the Africa IP Marketplace close on 30 September. Stakeholders across the #AfCFTA community are encouraged to participate. IP Awards: africaipsummit.com/nominatio… Exhibition: africaipsummit.com/exhibitio… Take part in the awards and marketplace opportunities — and be part of #AAIPS2026 in Nairobi. Register here: africaipsummit.com/registrat… #AAIPS2026 #AfCFTA #IPExcellenceAwards #AfricaIPMarketplace

Sierra Leone is advancing the national implementation of the #AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade. Underway in Freetown from 23–25 September 2026, the Validation Workshop of #SierraLeone’s #AfCFTA Digital Trade Regulatory Assessment brings together policymakers, regulators and industry stakeholders to review and validate findings on the country’s existing legal, regulatory and institutional framework against the requirements of the Protocol. With support from @ODI_Global , the process will contribute to the development of a national digital trade action plan setting out priority measures to address alignment gaps, strengthen Sierra Leone’s digital trade framework and support the domestication and implementation of the Protocol. The exercise forms part of the #AfCFTA Secretariat’s broader efforts to support State Parties in aligning national laws, rules and regulations with the Protocol. Other State Parties are encouraged to submit formal requests for similar technical assistance. #DigitalTrade #SierraLeone #CreatingOneAfricanMarket

Know the Market. Find the Opportunity. How can African businesses identify the markets they can take advantage of under the #AfCFTA? Joyce Letswalo, Head of Division, Market Access, #AfCFTA Secretariat, highlights the importance of private-sector engagement, market research and the AfCFTA e-Tariff Book. Watch the teaser. Full conversation coming soon on the #AfCFTA YouTube channel. #AfCFTAPodcast #MarketAccess #PrivateSector #ETariffBook #IntraAfricanTrade

Every #SME has a border story. For many Central African entrepreneurs, expanding across Africa once felt out of reach — too complicated, too costly, too far. 🌍 The #AfCFTA SME Booster Initiative is changing that. In #Libreville, #Gabon, SMEs and Business Support Organizations from across the sub-region are learning to master Rules of Origin, use the Certificate of Origin, and unlock financing to export with confidence. The continental market isn't a someday goal anymore — it's open, and it's theirs to take. #AfCFTA #SMEBooster #TradeYourAfrica #IntraAfricanTrade #OneAfricanMarket #MadeInAfrica

Chaque PME a son histoire de frontière. Pour beaucoup d'entrepreneurs d'Afrique centrale, exporter sur le continent semblait hier hors de portée — trop compliqué, trop coûteux, trop loin. 🌍 L'Initiative SME Booster de la #ZLECAf change la donne. À #Libreville, au #Gabon, #PME et organisations d'appui aux entreprises de la sous-région apprennent à maîtriser les règles d'origine, à utiliser le certificat d'origine, et à mobiliser des financements pour exporter en toute confiance. Le marché continental n'est plus un horizon lointain — il est ouvert, et il leur appartient. #ZLECAf #SMEBooster #TradeYourAfrica #IntraAfricanTrade #OneAfricanMarket #MadeInAfrica

À la 81ᵉ Assemblée générale de @UN , le SG @MeneWamkele a ouvert le Forum sur la demande industrielle de l'AGII, avec l'Envoyé climat du #Kenya et les Open Society Foundations. La question : que le marché est-il prêt à acheter — à quelle échelle, à quelles conditions, dans quels délais. #ZLECAf #AGII

At the 81st @UN General Assembly, SG @MeneWamkele opened the #AGII Industrial Demand Forum with #Kenya's Climate Envoy Amb. Ali Mohamed and the Open Society Foundations. The question: what will the market buy — at what scale, on what terms, by when. #AfCFTA #AGII

The #AfCFTA Secretariat is collaborating in the delivery of #AAIPS2026, taking place from 11–13 November in #Nairobi. The Summit will examine how intellectual property can support Africa’s trade, industrial and creative economy transformation. #AAIPS2026 #AfCFTA #IntellectualProperty #AfricanInnovation #CreativeEconomy

Ramatu Ibrahim — National President, African Women Entrepreneurship Program (@AWEPNigeria) · #Nigeria “It started in #SierraLeone, then in the #Biashara deal rooms in Lomé — and that carried us all the way here, to Nigeria. My role is to facilitate, to connect, to advocate for our women in business, so that together we seize what the #AfCFTA opens. What do I take from it? That we don't need to go far. The resources, the tools, the materials are here. It is when we come together that we discover you need me, and I need you. What was decided in #Lomé continues in #Abuja; we are already looking at how to take our women's products out of #Nigeria. People always say the obstacle is capital. For those we prepare for export, the real obstacle is logistics. That is what must be lifted.” The #AfCFTA in action — from implementation to action. What was struck in the Lomé deal rooms closes in #Abuja: they walked in as competitors and left as each other's suppliers — which is what happens when you leave African women in a room together. The circle closes where another begins.

700 milliards de dollars d’ici 2035 : c’est le seuil que l’économie numérique africaine pourrait dépasser. À #UnstoppableAfrica, S.E.M. Wamkele Mene a détaillé une opportunité qui recouvre dépenses de consommation et PIB, des paiements numériques au transfert et au traitement des données, de la banque mobile aux technologies de la santé et de l’agriculture. Le Protocole sur le commerce numérique de la #ZLECAf fournit le cadre continental pour créer le bon environnement réglementaire, accompagner les technologies émergentes, dont l’IA, et élargir la participation des jeunes et des #PME. Vidéo en anglais — Video in English @GlobalAfricaBiz #GABI2026DAY2 #ZLECAf #CommerceNumérique #OneContinentOneClick #IA #PME

US$700 billion by 2035. That is the scale Africa's digital economy could exceed. At #UnstoppableAfrica, H.E. Wamkele Mene highlighted an opportunity spanning consumer spending and GDP across digital payments, data transfers and processing, mobile banking, health technology and agricultural technology. The AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade provides the continental framework to create the right regulatory environment, nurture emerging technologies, including AI, and widen participation for young people and SMEs. @GlobalAfricaBiz #GABI2026DAY2 #AfCFTA #DigitalTrade #OneContinentOneClick #AI #SMEs

En marge de l’#AGNU à New York, S.E.M. Wamkele Mene a pris part à #UnstoppableAfrica 2026, rencontre phare de la Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI), pour la conversation « One Continent, One Click ». Il y a présenté le Protocole sur le commerce numérique de la #ZLECAf comme le cadre qui doit faire grandir l’économie numérique africaine, accompagner les technologies émergentes et élargir l’inclusion. @GlobalAfricaBiz #GABI2026DAY2 #ZLECAf #CommerceNumérique

Chantal Folly Mensah — Founder · Nature Marché · #Lomé, #Togo “I work in agri-food and agri-cosmetics: fonio and processed fonio for babies, adults, people with diabetes; honey; shea butter that I produce with the women of northern Togo's villages, turned into cosmetics. I exhibit through Togo Mall, and that is what brought me here, in the continuation of the Lomé deal rooms. My products are in #Togo, #France, the #United States, #Côted'Ivoire — but I am aiming for #Nigeria, more than 200 million people. And I want to trade both ways: to sell, but also to see what, here, I can take back home. One thing would make everything easier: that across Africa we share the same rules, and that the same certifications be recognised everywhere. Because it is not easy to be an entrepreneur in #Africa — and yet every opportunity we are given creates jobs for our young people.” The #AfCFTA in action — from implementation to action. A single market that still demands five certifications depending on the border isn't quite single yet: that's the next obstacle to lift.

Amina Atta — CEO · Bullseye Consulting (EneFOODS) · Nigeria “Not every story begins with a signature. Mine began with a handshake. I came to the deal room in search of what I lacked most: contacts. Because when you don't know anyone in other African countries, it is very hard to make that connection. I met fellow entrepreneurs with exciting products, and built networks I intend to follow up. What opened in the #Lomé deal rooms, then here, is not yet a contract for me. It's better: it's the relationship from which contracts will come.” The #AfCFTA in action — from implementation to action. No contract was ever signed without a handshake first. Before the single market, there is the meeting.

On the margins of #UNGA in New York, H.E. Wamkele Mene participated in #UnstoppableAfrica 2026, the flagship event of the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI), joining the fireside chat “One Continent, One Click: Creating Africa's Digital Trade Age”. GABI positions Africa as a premier destination for business, trade and investment. H.E. Mene highlighted the #AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade as a framework for growing Africa's digital economy, nurturing emerging technologies and widening inclusion. @GlobalAfricaBiz #GABI2026DAY2 #AfCFTA #DigitalTrade