At the Biashara Afrika 2026 forum in Lomé, Togolese leader Faure Gnassingbé urged African nations and business leaders to move beyond declarations and turn the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) into tangible benefits for citizens. Speaking to ministers, investors, entrepreneurs, and development partners from across the continent, he framed the moment as a turning point: “The era of vision must now become the era of action.”
The three-day event, co-hosted by the Togolese government and the AfCFTA Secretariat, serves as a high-level marketplace to accelerate intra-African trade, strengthen regional value chains, and forge concrete business partnerships. Its core mission is clear: transform the continent’s vast market, abundant resources, youthful workforce, and unified legal framework into measurable economic progress.
Gnassingbé positioned Togo as a regional frontrunner in economic integration, spotlighting the deep-water port of Lomé and ongoing reforms to streamline business regulations and attract foreign direct investment. These measures, he argued, are building a more attractive environment for both local entrepreneurs and international investors.
Yet the path forward is not without obstacles. Persistent non-tariff barriers, uneven infrastructure, limited access to finance, and the underrepresentation of small and medium-sized enterprises in cross-border trade remain major bottlenecks. Addressing these hurdles is central to unlocking the AfCFTA’s potential.
The forum is designed to be more than talk—it is a platform where policymakers, financiers, and business owners can co-create solutions, forge alliances, and launch initiatives that convert Africa’s economic promise into inclusive, sustainable growth for all.
