President John Dramani Mahama has underscored the central role of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in shaping Africa’s industrial future, describing the agreement as the most ambitious integration project in the continent’s history.

According to the President, AfCFTA creates a single market of more than 1.3 billion people and positions Africa as a credible manufacturing and investment destination in the global economy.

He noted that the scale of the integrated market offers African countries a unique opportunity to move beyond fragmented national economies and build competitive industries that can serve both regional and international markets.

Ghana, President Mahama said, is proud to host the AfCFTA Secretariat and to be among the early countries trading under the agreement’s preferences.

However, he cautioned that the free trade area will not automatically deliver industrialisation unless it is deliberately aligned with broader development strategies.

He stressed that AfCFTA must be linked to coherent industrial policies, sustained infrastructure investment, enterprise development, and effective trade facilitation reforms to unlock its full potential. Without these complementary measures, he warned, the benefits of market integration could remain largely theoretical.

The president further argued that industrialisation cannot succeed within isolated national markets, insisting that Africa’s future lies in the development of regional value chains. While acknowledging that no single country can produce everything competitively, he said African nations can collectively build strong and efficient industries by integrating production processes across borders.

To support this vision, President Mahama identified key enablers of industrial integration, including investments in transport corridors, energy grids, digital infrastructure, and the harmonisation of regulations across countries. These, he said, are essential for reducing the cost of doing business, improving connectivity, and enabling seamless trade across the continent.

Speaking at the 2026 Africa Trade Summit, he concluded that AfCFTA presents a historic opportunity for Africa to transform its economic structure, but only if countries move beyond agreement signing to purposeful implementation that supports industrial growth and shared prosperity.