The African Continental Free Trade Area AfCFTA is viewed by African CEOs as a catalyst for regional expansion and growth, but policy implementation failures, non-tariff barriers, and mobility restrictions continue to impede the realisation of its full 3.5 trillion potential. With the release of the latest Pan-African Private Sector Trade and Investment Committee PAFTRAC Africa CEO Trade Survey report, in partnership with African Business magazine, a panel of experts called for more deliberate implementation and coordination to give the agreement full rein.
According to the 5th and latest PAFTRAC CEO trade survey, Africa's business leaders are becoming more aware of the trade scheme and its benefits, although many have concerns about its effective implementation. Following its release, PAFTRAC convened a panel of experts on Wednesday, December 10, 2025 to examine how Africa can strategically position itself in a shifting global trade landscape by translating insights from the Africa CEO Trade Survey 2025 into practical actions and to identify priority measures necessary for the success of the AfCFTA and its broader objectives.
Professor Pat Utomi, chairman of PAFTRAC, opened the discussion by explaining that PAFTRAC was founded "because of a certain sense that policymakers on the continent were entering into international trade agreements without input from their private sector, and so were not getting optimal outcomes from those trade agreements." He emphasised that in 2021, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, PAFTRAC decided to undertake the annual survey to take the temperature of the continent's business community.
