By: Samuel Ayammah
The Chief Executive Officer of Civil Society for AfCFTA, Dr. Emmanuel Victor Brown, says the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is making steady progress despite concerns about its slow pace, noting that many member states are now beginning to give serious attention to its implementation.
Dr. Brown spoke with GBCONLINE NEWS on the sidelines of the 2026 Future of Energy Conference (FEC) in Accra, organised by the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP).
According to him, Africa cannot be expected to measure up overnight with blocs like the European Union that have been trading among themselves for decades.
“It is taking some time, because we cannot just measure up with the other people that have started trading among themselves,” he said.
He explained that AfCFTA, which he described as the African Continental Free Trade Area, is creating a single market for all member states to trade as one community. The initiative is part of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the framework for the Africa we want.
That is the framework for the Africa we want, that by 2063 we should be able to have the type of Africa we want, he said.
Dr. Brown said his personal tracking shows encouraging signs. A lot of member states have signed the agreement, submitted their ratification to the AU, and a whole lot have also gazetted AfCFTA in their countries in order to start trading with other member states.
So there are good opportunities in terms of the populations we have in Africa, he noted.
He said one of the biggest opportunities lies in tariff liberalization. By taking away 90 percent of tariffs and removing some duties and other barriers, trading will become easier especially for young entrepreneurs, SMEs and medium-scale businesses seeking to scale up or accelerate their businesses.
So there is progress, though it is taking time. We cannot just meet up with the EU that has traded about maybe 60%. They started somewhere, he said.
Dr. Brown stressed that the key to success will be strict adherence to the agreed framework without compromise. Compromise, external influences and policy reversals, he warned, are what prevent visions from reaching their destination.
If we are on course with what we have as the framework, if we follow it and not to compromise, definitely one day we will get to where other people are, he said.
He commended the African Union and the government of President John Dramani Mahama for pushing the AfCFTA agenda. He also cited the Vice President, who in her speech balanced her remarks with AfCFTA and how Ghana can take advantage of developments at the continental level.
So I’m believing if we are on course with what we have as the framework, if we follow it and not to compromise — because these are some of the things that makes visions not to get to the destination — if we follow the framework that has been laid down concerning trade and investment in Africa, definitely one day we will get to where other people are, he reiterated.
The 2026 FEC conference continues in Accra, bringing together policymakers, civil society, private sector and researchers to discuss Africa’s energy future, regional integration and industrial transformation.
