The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has called on Southern African nations to accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to fully unlock its economic potential.
Eunice Kamwendo, Director of the ECA Subregional Office for Southern Africa, stressed that AfCFTA could serve as a catalyst for sustainable development if countries focus on four critical priorities: strengthening regional value chains and value addition, promoting economic diversification, creating employment for youth and the private sector, and advancing greener, more sustainable economies.
“Inclusive industrialisation remains the most viable pathway for development in Southern Africa and across the continent,” Kamwendo said during the 31st Session of the Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts of Southern Africa (ICSOE31) in Ezulwini. She called on member states to move beyond dialogue, emphasizing the need for concrete actions to accelerate industrialisation and deepen regional integration under AfCFTA.
Echoing the call, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Eswatini, George Wachira, highlighted the need for practical strategies to address Africa’s economic challenges, including limited diversification, vulnerability to external shocks, and underutilised industrial capacity. He pointed to Eswatini’s strong industrial base, where manufactured goods account for nearly 80 percent of exports—well above the continental average—positioning the country as a potential regional production hub within the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Wachira also noted that Southern Africa could leverage complementary frameworks such as the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap, the Tripartite Free Trade Area, and COMESA–EAC–SADC regional infrastructure programmes to boost trade, industrialisation, and inclusive growth.
Representing Zambia’s Ministry of Finance and National Planning, Davison Mapiza, Director of Development Planning, underscored the importance of coordinated regional action to maximise AfCFTA opportunities. He highlighted ECA-supported initiatives including National AfCFTA strategies for Botswana and Lesotho, a step-by-step trading guide for Namibia, and Angola’s AfCFTA implementation framework.
Kamwendo also praised ECA’s efforts in promoting sustainable industrialisation and climate action, citing the completion of a renewable energy study to inform the SADC Just Energy Transition Framework, expected to be finalised in 2026. Progress has also been made under the Project on Innovative Climate Action, supporting green and inclusive industrialisation across six SADC countries.
In addition, AfCFTA initiatives supported by ECA include the launch of the Southern Africa Trade and Investment Platform and programmes empowering over 70 women entrepreneurs with tools to trade effectively under the continental free trade framework.
“AfCFTA is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to move from raw material exports to value-added production,” Kamwendo said, urging countries to use the framework to transform industrial capacity, create jobs, and drive sustainable economic growth.
The session highlighted that without accelerated and coordinated action, the benefits of AfCFTA including industrialisation, employment, and regional economic integration could remain underrealized in Southern Africa.
Southern African governments now face mounting pressure to operationalize AfCFTA strategies, strengthen regional value chains, and implement practical measures that ensure the continent fully reaps the rewards of Africa’s largest free trade initiative.
