2nd AfCFTA Business Forum

[Video message]

Excellencies, distinguished business leaders, dear friends,

There is a reason this Forum convenes in Morocco. 

For centuries, this land has been a bridge – between continents, between cultures, between what is and what could be. 

Under the Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed IV, you are here to build another bridge: one that connects African markets to African futures.

At its heart, the African Continental Free Trade Area is about choice. 

The choice to diversify trade partners and to trade more with neighbours who understand your challenges. 

Let me make two points: first, about why this choice matters now; second, about what businesses can do to make it real.

I start with why this matters.

Today, intra-African trade accounts for just 16% of the continent's total exports. 

Over half of Africa's imports and exports flow to just five economies – all outside the continent. 

When global markets turn volatile, African businesses feel it first and recover last.

But here's what makes this moment different. Three quarters of global growth now comes from the developing world.  South-South trade is growing at nearly double global averages. And the AfCFTA offers Africa access to a $3.4 trillion market – larger than any single trading partner can provide. 

The opportunity is enormous; the question is whether we seize it.

This brings me to what businesses can do.

Regional integration does not happen in ministries alone – it happens in boardrooms, in factories, in the decisions and choices of entrepreneurs.

Small and medium enterprises provide 80% of employment across this continent. 

When they connect to regional supply chains, they create jobs, build resilience, and transform economies.

But they need support. 

They need trade costs that don't consume their margins – currently 50% higher than the global average. 

They need financing that matches their ambitions. 

They need infrastructure that connects them to neighbours, rivers and roads that look inward, not just to ports and airport that face outward.

This forum is where those partnerships begin. 

Excellencies,

UNCTAD has stood with Africa throughout this journey – from research to technical cooperation to consensus-building. 

We remain committed to supporting the full implementation of the AfCFTA. 

The future of African trade will be written by those in this room. I thank again the authorities of Morocco for convening this important forum and I wish you a productive Forum.

I thank you