Zanzibar, Tanzania, Tuesday, 8th July 2026 – The East African Business Council (EABC), in collaboration with the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and the Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC), improved the knowledge of over 50 businesses on African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement to strengthen Zanzibar’s participation in intra-African trade.
This follows the three-day Zanzibar Private Sector National Workshop on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The workshop was officially opened by Hon. Dr. Habiba Hassan Omar, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industrial Development, Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar.
In her opening remarks, Hon. Dr. Habiba reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to strengthening private sector participation in regional and continental trade, urging businesses to capitalize on opportunities under the AfCFTA, which provides access to a market of over 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP exceeding USD 3.4 trillion.
Welcoming participants, Mr. Hamad Hamad, Executive Director of ZNCC, underscored the importance of building the capacity of Zanzibar’s private sector to compete effectively in African markets. Mr. Lamech Wesonga, representing GIZ, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to supporting regional economic integration by strengthening private sector competitiveness through targeted capacity-building initiatives.
Speaking on behalf of EABC, Mr. Ali Suleiman Amour, EABC Board Member and Chairperson of ZNCC, highlighted that the workshop forms part of EABC’s regional AfCFTA awareness programme being implemented across the East African Community Partner States. He noted that Tanzania had issued 392 AfCFTA Certificates of Origin by June 2025, ranking first in the East African Community, and encouraged Zanzibar businesses to make greater use of AfCFTA trading instruments to expand exports and access new African markets.
The technical programme is being facilitated by Prof. Agor Seth, an AfCFTA expert, who provided participants with an overview of the Agreement Establishing the AfCFTA and the structure of the Protocol on Trade in Goods, laying the foundation for the technical sessions to be delivered throughout the three-day workshop.
