The Regional Capacity-Building Seminar for National AfCFTA Implementation Committees, organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) from 4 to 7 August 2026 in Yaoundé, Cameroon, represents a strategic step towards translating institutional preparedness into the effective implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Central Africa. By strengthening the capacities of the national institutions responsible for steering the Agreement, the seminar aims to equip Member States with the institutional, technical and operational tools needed to convert the opportunities offered by the AfCFTA into increased trade, productive investment and stronger regional value chains.

This objective is particularly timely given that the AfCFTA has created the world's largest integrated market by number of participating countries, bringing together more than 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP of approximately US$3.4 trillion. Yet in Central Africa, where intra-regional trade remains below 3% in several regional economic communities, the Agreement's transformative potential remains largely untapped. The challenge is no longer one of ratification, but of implementation through effective national institutions capable of coordinating reforms, supporting the private sector and facilitating commercially meaningful trade under the AfCFTA preferential regime.

It is precisely in response to this challenge that ECA has positioned itself as a long-term partner to its Member States throughout the AfCFTA implementation process. Having supported awareness-raising, the preparation of national AfCFTA implementation strategies and the establishment of National Implementation Committees, ECA is now focusing on the operationalization of these institutional mechanisms. Its objective is to strengthen their capacity to drive reforms, coordinate public and private stakeholders, and enable businesses to seize the commercial opportunities created by the continental market.

ECA's comparative advantage lies in its integrated approach, which combines policy advice, technical assistance, capacity development and peer learning among Member States. By bringing together National AfCFTA Implementation Committees, the AfCFTA Secretariat, regional economic communities and development partners, the seminar seeks to move the Agreement beyond policy commitments towards measurable economic outcomes, enhancing regional competitiveness, expanding intra-African trade and advancing economic integration across Central Africa.