Addis Ababa, 21 March 2025 (ECA) — The African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) today held its 5th Steering Committee Meeting in Addis Ababa, bringing together high-level representatives from the AfCFTA Secretariat, Global Affairs Canada, Regional Economic Communities, and key development and private sector partners.
The meeting served as a platform to review ATPC’s 2024 achievements, endorse its 2025 work programme and budget, and explore strategic pathways to accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The session was chaired by Mr. Tsotetsi Makong, Director of Coordination and Programmes at the AfCFTA Secretariat, on behalf of the Secretary-General, Mr. Wamkele Mene, and co-chaired by Ms. Pearl Wierenga, First Secretary – Pan Africa and Regional Development at Global Affairs Canada.
Opening the meeting, Stephen Karingi, Director of the Regional Integration and Trade Division at ECA, emphasized the role of the Steering Committee in ensuring ATPC remains accountable to both its African constituencies and development partners.
“In this evolving global context, it is more important than ever that ATPC continues to offer thought leadership to help African countries navigate protectionism, climate-related trade barriers, and competitiveness challenges,” he said.
Mr. Karingi also highlighted the significance of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between ECA and the AfCFTA Secretariat in February 2025, laying the foundation for collaboration in key areas such as market access, industrial development, regional value chains, and trade facilitation.
Representing Global Affairs Canada, Ms. Pearl Wierenga reiterated Canada’s long-standing support to ATPC, which spans over two decades. She highlighted Canada’s current CA$15.2 million grant to ATPC (2021–2026), which supports inclusive AfCFTA implementation with a focus on gender equality and environmental sustainability.
“This is a critical moment to break down barriers to trade and ensure the gains from the AfCFTA are felt equally by women and men across the continent,” she said.
Ms. Wierenga also introduced Canada’s new Africa Strategy, launched in March 2025, which promotes trade readiness, inclusive growth, and deeper economic partnerships aligned with Agenda 2063.
In his remarks on behalf of the AfCFTA Secretary General, Mr. Tsotetsi Makong called for a shift from agreement to action. “Having an agreement is not enough, it is time to fully implement the AfCFTA if we want to deliver benefits to the African people,” he said.
He stressed the need for deep regulatory and institutional reforms, stronger engagement with the private sector, investment in infrastructure, technology transfer, and the building of strategic partnerships to support inclusive AfCFTA implementation across the continent.
As ATPC moves into the final stretch of its current programme cycle, Steering Committee members provided recommendations to strengthen the Centre’s work in several key areas. These include enhancing strategic partnerships, increasing engagement with the private sector, improving communication and dissemination of results, and deepening support for the domestication and implementation of the AfCFTA at the national level—with a strong emphasis on gender mainstreaming and alignment with the AfCFTA Secretariat’s evolving priorities.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org