Rwanda President Paul Kagame has met Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, as African countries face growing calls to accelerate implementation of the continent’s free trade agreement.
The two held talks in Kigali on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, focusing on efforts to strengthen implementation of AfCFTA and expand trade among African countries.
According to the Office of the President, Kagame reaffirmed Rwanda’s commitment to supporting AfCFTA initiatives aimed at boosting cross-border trade and advancing the creation of a single African market.
AfCFTA is designed to remove trade barriers among African countries, increase the movement of goods and services, attract investment and strengthen the continent’s competitiveness in global markets.
For Kagame, the main challenge is no longer establishing the framework but ensuring that member states implement what they have agreed.
During a recent media interaction, he expressed concern about the slow pace of implementation, saying Africa needed to move faster to realise the benefits of the agreement.
“I have concerns, but I am also happy that this initiative was put in place. What is disappointing is how we are unable to move as fast as we should,” Kagame said.
He said Africa had already taken an important step by establishing a framework for countries to trade more freely with one another, but that implementation remained the critical test.
The engagement with Mene comes as African leaders and policymakers continue to push for fewer barriers to trade and greater economic integration across the continent.
AfCFTA aims to create a single continental market by progressively removing tariffs and other barriers to trade, while facilitating investment and the movement of goods and services.
The agreement was signed by 44 African countries at the African Union’s 10th Extraordinary Summit held in Kigali in March 2018. It entered into force in May 2019, while trading under the agreement began in January 2021.
The continental free trade area brings together African countries into one of the world’s largest potential markets, creating opportunities for businesses to expand beyond their domestic markets.
Rwanda has consistently advocated for deeper African economic integration, arguing that a larger continental market can help African businesses expand, strengthen local manufacturing and reduce dependence on imports from outside the continent.
The Kagame-Mene meeting comes as efforts intensify to turn AfCFTA from a formal agreement into a functioning trading system that can significantly increase intra-African trade, investment and industrial development.
