A South African, Wamkele Mene, was today Thursday, 19 March 2020 sworn in as the first Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.

Mr. Mene was elected in February this year for the top job, beating three contenders.    

He was sworn in at the headquarters in the African Union in Addis Ababa, witnessed by the president of the AU commission and other officials.  

He is a former Head of Mission to the World Trade Organisation for South Africa. 

The newly elected Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (#AfCFTA) Secretariat, H.E. @MeneWamkele swore in today as the 1st ever Secretary General. The ceremony took place @_AfricanUnion headquarters in the presence of H.E.@AUC_MoussaFaki & @AmbMuchanga. pic.twitter.com/EnAKiVSrxA

— AU-TradeIndustry (@AUTradeIndustry) March 19, 2020

Ghana is hosting the Secretariat of the AfCFTA.

The agreement initially requires members to remove tariffs from 90% of goods, allowing free access to commodities, goods, and services across the continent.