The third edition of Biashara Afrika landed in Lome, Togo, on May 17, and it wasn’t your typical summit of handshakes and protocol recitals. This was a working session where African heads of state, ministers, policymakers, SMEs, and entrepreneurs gathered to push the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement from paper to pavement. Hosted by the Togolese government and the AfCFTA Secretariat, the forum, held at Palais des Congres from May 18 to 20, carried the theme “Powering Africa’s Economic Transformation through the AfCFTA.” The name “Biashara,” Kiswahili for trade, signaled the intent to put African entrepreneurs, women, and youth at the heart of the story.
AfCFTA, a flagship of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, has 54 signatories and 50 ratifications as of 2025, making it the world’s largest free trade area by membership. Launched in 2018, trading began in 2021. The agreement includes protocols on goods, services, dispute settlement, competition policy, intellectual property, investment, digital trade, and women and youth in trade. After editions in Cape Town and Kigali, the Lome summit framed the conversation as “Africa for Africa” or “One Africa, One Market,” aiming to create a single market of 54 countries with a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion and a population of 1.4 billion. The goal: reduce trade barriers, harmonize policies, and use the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System to let businesses pay in local currencies.
Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, declared, “AfCFTA is no longer an aspiration; it is a functioning instrument of integration, powered by institutions, backed by political will, and increasingly owned by the private sector.” Tony Elumelu, billionaire entrepreneur and chairman of The Tony Elumelu Foundation, echoed this with his Africapitalism philosophy, arguing that the private sector should power Africa’s development. Since 2015, his foundation has invested over $100 million to train, mentor, and fund young entrepreneurs, selecting over 18,000 beneficiaries across 54 countries. Each gets $5,000 seed capital, training, and mentorship. I mentor in this program, and these entrepreneurs have created over 400,000 jobs and generated more than $1.5 billion in revenue.
The opening plenary on May 18 featured Togo’s Minister of Economy, Badanam Patoku; Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole; AU Champion for AfCFTA, former Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou; Wamkele Mene; and Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe. Oduwole dropped a bombshell: two delegates were denied entry into Togo with their ECOWAS passports. A Nigerian with both Nigerian and EU passports, and a Ghanaian living in Paris with Ghanaian and US passports, were forced to obtain 48-hour Togolese visas because they weren’t arriving from their home countries. The Ghanaian delegate called it “ridiculous,” and the Nigerian was so angry he threatened to skip investing in Togo.
Oduwole, incoming Chair of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers, has a mandate to eliminate non-tariff barriers, cut customs delays, and roll out digital trade infrastructure. Gnassingbe, visibly frustrated, ordered immigration and border control to resolve the issue immediately. The Togolese government responded by declaring that African passport holders and investors can now enter Togo without a visa for up to 30 days, provided they have valid national passports and complete an online travel declaration. Announced by Security Minister Calixte Batossie Madjoulba, the move was hailed by the AfCFTA Secretariat and Afreximbank as a breakthrough for mobility, trade, and investment.
Participants stressed that facilitating movement is essential for inter-African trade. Togo’s decision offers a test case for visa liberalization. Other African countries with visa restrictions should follow. Togo, with its deep-water port, positioned itself as a logistics and transport hub for West and Central Africa.
Oduwole put it bluntly: “Africa has spent years negotiating agreements and signing protocols. Now, Africa must focus on practical implementation.” The summit emphasized B2B engagements, trade finance, value chains, and partnerships. The AfCFTA Secretariat and the International Trade Centre signed a partnership to create commercial opportunities for SMEs, women-owned, and youth-led businesses. ITC estimates intra-African trade could increase by $22 billion annually by 2029 under AfCFTA.
A recurring theme was moving beyond raw material exports. While Morocco’s automotive sector, Kenya’s fintech, and Nigeria’s new refinery are success stories, they remain isolated. “What Africa needs from global partners is not charity, but collaboration,” one speaker noted. The summit called for financing commitments for value-added industries, cross-border supply chains, logistics, power, and manufacturing hubs.
Low intra-African trade, at 15-18 percent, was cited as worrisome compared to over 60 percent in Europe and Asia. The gap is due to barriers in transport, finance, information, and mobility. Dr. Hortense Me, Executive Secretary of the AfCFTA Abidjan-Lagos Corridor, revealed 41 “official” checkpoints between Abidjan and Lagos. Each checkpoint undermines AfCFTA’s vision.
Biashara Afrika 2026 was a working session on making AfCFTA real. Africa is moving from aspiration to action.
Ehi Braimah is a public relations specialist, marketing strategist, and publisher/editor-in-chief of Naija Times and Lagos Post.
