Objective :
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, through its African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) and its Subregional Offices for West and North Africa, with the financial support of the Open Society Foundations (OSF), is organizing a regional workshop, from 21-22 May 2026 in Lomé, Togo.
The regional workshop will be convened at an opportune time. Serving as a regional platform on the AfCFTA, the main objective of the meeting is to assess progress made in the implementation of the Agreement, share experiences and best practices, identify implementation challenges, and define priority strategic measures to accelerate its implementation and ensure that the economic and development promises of the Agreement are translated into measurable transformational change. Moreover, given that trade disruptions are part of the immediate consequences of the ongoing Middle East war, the event will provide an opportunity to discuss and identify priority-actions to mitigate this global shock.
The specific objectives of the workshop are structured around the following:
- To analyze progress made to date in the implementation of the AfCFTA: In participating countries and Regional Economic Communities (RECs), particularly progress in tariff liberalization, customs cooperation, national and regional implementation strategies, private sector engagement, and institutional coordination mechanisms, including national and regional committees and secretariats;
- To promote the exchange of best practices and peer learning: To provide a platform for countries that have made progress in implementing their AfCFTA strategies, including those that have already begun trading under the AfCFTA framework, to share lessons learned, innovative approaches, and institutional arrangements that can be replicated or adapted by others;
- To create an opportunity to better appreciate the role of the AfCFTA implementation in Africa’s efforts to mitigate the impacts of recurrent external shocks, such as the war in the Middle East. In this regard, the impact assessment studies conducted jointly by the African Union, the UNECA, the AfDB, and the UNDP Africa Bureau, as well as the study by the UNECA West Africa Sub-regional Office focusing on the subregion and the Sahel, could inform the discussions and related decisions.
- Contact details:
- Moukaila Mouzamilou Takpara (moukaila.takpara@un.org)
- Tahirou Gouro Soumana (gouro2@un.org)
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