AfCFTA Implementation Shifts from Policy to Execution at Biashara Afrika 2026

Held in Togo’s capital from 18–20 May under the theme “Powering Africa’s Economic Transformation Through the AfCFTA”, the forum gathered policymakers, financiers, logistics operators, development partners and businesses to focus less on negotiating rules and more on clearing day-to-day barriers for traders. The shift matters for investors. Talks now focus on customs procedures, digital payments and SME market access rather than broad commitments, signalling a more investable phase of integration.

From borders and visas to executable customs reforms

A headline signal from Lomé was Togo’s announcement of visa-free entry for African nationals holding valid passports, positioning the country as a gateway for intra-African mobility for both people and firms. For trade-driven sectors such as logistics, business services and manufacturing, easier entry reduces friction for regional operations and regional headquarters strategies.

Meanwhile, trade facilitation took a more technical turn. Nigeria confirmed readiness to pilot the AfCFTA Electronic Certificate of Origin and Simplified Trade Regime, while Cabo Verde committed to test the Authorised Economic Operator Programme. Together, these tools aim to cut border delays, standardise documentation and reduce transaction costs for compliant traders.

Stakeholders also advanced work on One-Stop Border Posts and a Single Bond Guarantee initiative. These instruments are designed to streamline cargo movements across multiple jurisdictions and reduce the need for separate guarantees in each country. For investors in trade corridors and warehousing, the reforms indicate that risk linked to customs fragmentation is starting to fall, even if execution will differ by corridor.

Although many of these measures are technical, the direction is clear. Governments and regional institutions are now building the operational backbone that AfCFTA implementation requires: risk-based controls, harmonised customs processes and simpler regimes for SMEs.

Digital rails, deal rooms and private capital signals

Digital trade infrastructure and payments featured prominently. Delegates engaged on the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), the AfCFTA e-Tariff Book, the African Trade Gateway and Ecobank‘s Single Market Trade Hubs. Together, these platforms seek to reduce payment friction, ease currency conversion and give exporters clearer visibility on tariffs and market conditions.

For banks and fintechs, the focus on interoperable systems and shared data indicates a growing market for cross-border solutions that sit on top of continental rails. As a result, transaction banking and merchant-acquiring models tailored to regional value chains should see rising demand.

Private sector participation also moved from rhetoric to structure. Multiple partnerships and memoranda of understanding were announced, including agreements involving Ecobank Group, Africa Global Logistics (AGL), Rendeavour and the International Trade Centre (ITC), with an emphasis on trade finance, logistics, industrialisation and SME support. These deals suggest that commercial players are now willing to put capital and capacity behind the treaty framework.

The Biashara SME Market Access and Deal Room evolved beyond networking into a space for commercial engagement and business matchmaking, connecting SMEs with partners and buyers across markets. Participants went further, calling for a permanent AfCFTA Deal Room operating year-round to link SMEs, women entrepreneurs and youth-led businesses with investors, distributors and corporate buyers. For private equity and venture investors, that proposal points to a future pipeline of vetted, trade-ready businesses tied directly to the continental agenda.

Throughout the sessions, industrialisation and regional value chains remained central, especially in agriculture, automotive manufacturing, logistics corridors, digital trade and Special Economic Zones. Speakers linked global supply chain reconfiguration and rising protectionism to the need for stronger intra-African trade, underscoring that AfCFTA implementation is now a strategic hedge, not just a political project.

AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene captured the pivot, noting that conversations in Lomé were now about execution rather than possibility. For investors, that shift is the key takeaway: as more governments move to visa-free regimes, pilot digital customs tools and embed payment systems, intra-African trade risk should gradually moderate. The next phase to watch is whether these pilots scale across corridors and sectors, turning Biashara Afrika’s commitments into predictable cash flows along Africa’s emerging regional value chains.

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