The one-day gathering, themed “Transforming Vision into Speed: Building Africa’s Trade Ecosystem with Real-World Impact,” brought together policymakers, development agencies, business leaders and investors to discuss ways to accelerate Africa’s participation in global trade while increasing intra-continent commerce.
CAPE TOWN, March 11 (Xinhua) – African policymakers and business leaders on Wednesday called for stronger regional integration and the removal of trade barriers to boost trade across the continent at the 2026 Africa Trade Conference in Cape Town.
The one-day gathering, themed “Transforming Vision into Speed: Building Africa’s Trade Ecosystem with Real-World Impact,” brought together policymakers, development agencies, business leaders and investors to discuss ways to accelerate Africa’s participation in global trade while increasing intra-continent commerce.
Kennedy Mbekeani, Southern Africa Director at the African Development Bank, said recent global developments have highlighted the need for Africa to strengthen regional integration.
He added that risk perception often deters investment on the continent. “Sometimes such perceptions are intentional,” he says. “They will keep telling us that Africa is dangerous in order to get as much profit as possible from us.”
During a panel discussion, Botswana’s Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Thiloeaone Nsima, said African countries could benefit from opening their borders and co-financing cross-border projects.
He stressed the need for stronger cooperation between neighboring countries, saying trade routes and cross-border facilities need to be simplified to facilitate the movement of goods for businesses and people.
Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare, Ghana’s Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, said fragmentation remained a major barrier to trade, both between and within countries.
He emphasized the need for seamless data sharing between regions and government agencies to alleviate trade bottlenecks.
Zambia’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Chipoka Mulenga said African economies should support each other through investment and strengthening trade ties.
The Minister noted that Regional Economic Communities (RECs) aim to eliminate trade barriers between member countries, but are often undermined by restrictions imposed by each country itself.
“REC countries are not performing as well as they should because they deliberately put up non-tariff barriers to impede trade with each other,” he said.
He called on governments and businesses to strengthen cross-border investment and cooperation across the continent.
“We need to encourage investment and business participation between countries…we need to complement each other, not compete with each other,” he added. ■
