In Central Africa, commitments under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) have yet to translate into commercial reality at scale. To date, Cameroon remains the only country in the subregion to have traded under the AfCFTA’s preferential terms through the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI), a gap that underscores the urgency of accelerating institutional and operational readiness across the subregion, so that more businesses can access the continental single market.
To address this challenge, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) through its Sub-Regional Office for Central Africa, the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) and the African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) will convene representatives of National AfCFTA Implementing Committees from the subregion’s eight countries, regional economic communities, private sector and key institutional partners in Yaoundé from 4 to 7 August 2026. Held under the theme “Accelerating AfCFTA Operationalization in Central Africa: Strengthening the Technical Capacity of National Implementation Committees,” the seminar aims to enhance the effectiveness of these committees, the essential mechanisms tasked with translating the Agreement into practice through reforms, services to economic operators, and concrete trade-facilitating action. The seminar is organized in partnership with the UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and in consultation with the AfCFTA Secretariat.
