ECA simplifies AfCFTA trading rules SMEs, others
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), through its African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC), has simplified the trading rules of engagement for participation in the African Free Continental Free
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), through its African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC), has simplified the trading rules of engagement for participation in the African Free Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and others.
The step-by-step guides were introduced in response to repeated demands by the African private sector, and particularly the SMEs, who found themselves unable to access accurate, comprehensive and comprehensible information in their own countries on how to engage in cross-border trade within the continent under the AfCFTA and benefit from its preferences.
Acting Director of ECA’s Regional Integration and Trade Division, Mr. Melaku Desta, said: “And now, with the step-by-step guides, ECA is taking the AfCFTA implementation and operationalization process another step down – looking into the bureaucratic processes involved in actually starting making trade happen – from securing a trade licence, to acquiring a certificate of origin, to obtaining certificates of conformity with the product health and safety requirements of both the exporting and importing countries, and everything else that has to be done in order to take a product out of one market and into that of another.”
He spoke during the opening session of the workshop organized by ECA, through its ATPC and with financial support from the government of Japan. The forum was titled: Continental Workshop on “Tackling the Information Barrier in Intra-African Trade: Step-by-Step Guides for Trading under the AfCFTA” and was held in February 2026 at the Trademark Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.
The workshop was designed to take stock of the experience with the first group of national step-by-step guides for trading under the AfCFTA, engage public and private sector stakeholders on their design, utility and effectiveness, gauge the reaction particularly of the private sector to which the Guides are addressed, and create an opportunity for early feedback and lesson learning.
The AfCFTA is an intensely negotiated package of commitments couched in legally dense text. To translate these commitments into country-level policy, regulatory and institutional reforms, our Member Staes developed national AfCFTA implementation strategies.
Thanks to the financial support initially of the EU and later of Canada and Denmark, ECA alone has assisted some 44 countries and five RECs to develop such strategies.
Other partners supported seven countries on the same, bringing the total number of AfCFTA implementation strategies to 51.
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These strategies identify priority intervention areas focusing mainly on what needs to be done at the level of government policy, regulation, and institutions.
The step-by-step guides are typically developed jointly between the relevant government agency – mostly the ministry responsible for external trade – and the national organization or association that represents the country’s private sector, and with technical support from the ECA.
The step-by-step guides thus take the AfCFTA implementation effort to the next level.
A key feature of these guides lies in their simplicity and accessibility; instead of the usual bulky and jargon-heavy documents that are typical of our field, the step-by-step guides are short, non-technical, practical, and accessible to all.
Moreover, each national guide is also designed to lay the foundation for a comprehensive trade information portal that will provide accurate and timely information in a dynamic fashion.
Probably for that reason, the step-by-step guides are catching the attention of our member states.
These guides are currently being piloted in seven countries: Ethiopia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, and Mauritania, and in some cases are complemented by digital Trade Information Portals to ensure that the information is continuously updated. Most of these were presented and discussed here in Nairobi.
And the feedback we have received has been highly encouraging.
During the workshop, participants shared experiences and lessons from countries that have piloted the guides, officially discussed capacity-building needs to support wider adoption and effective use of the tools, and launched some of the national Step-by-Step Guides along with the accompanying digital Trade Portals.
The workshop brought together government officials from trade ministries, private sector operators, women and youth business associations, Chambers of Commerce, and development partners, providing a platform to exchange best practices, showcase pilot results, and explore how to scale up these tools across the continent.
Access to practical trade information is critical for SMEs to navigate cross-border trade and fully benefit from AfCFTA opportunities. This workshop marks an important step toward reducing trade information barriers and promoting inclusive intra-African trade
The workshop forms part of ECA’s broader efforts to strengthen trade facilitation, empower SMEs, and accelerate Africa’s economic integration under the AfCFTA framework.
