The event will be centred on two knowledge products of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). The first is a report emerging from a study of the implications of the African Continental Free Trade Area for demand for transport infrastructure and services. In that regard, the Commission is ramping up support for the development of regional transport corridors that are critical to cross-border trade on the continent, such as the Lamu Port–South Sudan– Ethiopia Transport Corridor. The second report highlights the development by ECA of a country business index within the framework of African Continental Free Trade Area. The index can be used by African businesses as an instrument for articulating their main trade challenges to policymakers. The country business index can also make a significant contribution to the development blueprint of Africa – as set out in Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, of the African Union, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – by identifying bottlenecks in trade regimes, to ensure more inclusive trade for womenowned businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises under the African Continental Free Trade Area. The strategic partnership within the framework of the United Nations Global Compact will support the uptake of this powerful tool to help Africa to build a more inclusive development model.