Thursday 18th September 2025 The East African Business Council (EABC) has called for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to be treated as an urgent priority for all Africans.
The EABC joined regional private sector bodies including the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Business Council, at the recent 17th meeting of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Council of Ministers Meeting and High Level Private Sector Dialogue in Cairo, Egypt this week.
During the meeting, which Egypt hosted as the council’s president, EABC’s role in promoting private sector engagement and economic integration under the AfCFTA was emphasized. The Council’s focus shifted from negotiations to implementation, and EABC continues to advocate for policies that facilitate trade, innovation, and investment for businesses in the East African region.
Egypt assumed the presidency of the Council of Ministers in April 2025, succeeding Tanzania. Egypt hosted the 17th meeting of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers and High Level Private Sector Dialogue to discuss ways of speeding up the implementation of the AfCFTA.
EABC Vice Chairperson, Simon Kaheru, said the private sector have the most critical role to play in making the aspirations of the AfCFTA a reality, and commended the AfCFTA for facilitating the dialogue.
“We are equal partners in ensuring that the integration of Africa for increased trade and prosperity is a success. Our interests are the same, even though the private sector focuses on profit and business growth and the public sector aims at the creation of jobs and wealth for our largely youth demographic across the continent. At the end of the day we are all working for Africans to prosper, and it is urgent for all of us,” he said.
The EABC, as a leading advocate for the private sector in East Africa, participated in discussions at the meeting to ensure businesses are prepared to leverage the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA.
The theme of the Cairo meeting was the urgent need to move from the negotiation phase to the actual implementation of the AfCFTA.
AfCFTA Secretary General, H.E. Wamkele Mene, stressed the urgent need to shift from negotiations to implementation, noting that the AfCFTA is Africa’s response to current geopolitical challenges through industrial development, “ensuring that no country is left behind.”
Egypt’s Investment and Foreign Trade Minister, Hon. Hassan El-Khatib, pledged support for deeper African economic integration under the bloc’s trade pact. El-Khatib said Egypt is committed to turning the AfCFTA into “a tangible reality” by expanding intra-African trade, advancing sustainable development and promoting economic integration in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
The EABC remains committed to working with governments and stakeholders to create an enabling environment for growth, innovation, and trade within the framework of the AfCFTA
