Mbah urges Africa to exploit intra-Africa trade for economic growth

Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State has urged African continent to exploit the power of intra-Africa trade and opportunities inherent in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for economic development.

Mbah said that Africa had all it takes through robust regional collaboration and trade facilitation to build its own table, rather than waiting to be invited to the table or depend on charity.

The governor made the call in a statement by his Senior Special Adviser on External Relations, Mr Uche Anichukwu on Tuesday in Enugu

According to the statement, Mbah made the remark during the 2025 Commonwealth Enterprises and Investment Council (CWEIC) summit in London.

The governor noted that such integration and trade facilitation had never been more compelling than now in the face of harsh global and existential headwinds facing the continent.

“Such large population, plus Africa’s combined Gross Domestic Product of $3.4 trillion and the fact that the continent has 65 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land means Africa should actually be building the table.

“But one of the challenges lies in translating Africa’s remarkable potential into real economic development that benefits the continent’s people.

“One of the solutions lies in fully exploiting the power of trade, particularly intra-Africa trade.

“The World Bank estimates that AfCFTA could lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty, raise incomes for 68 million people and boost Africa’s income by $450 billion by 2035. That is about 10 years from now,” he said.

Mbah regretted that most of the objectives, including removal of tariffs and non-tariff barriers, for which AfCFTA was established, were yet to be actualised, wondering how Africa’s $40 billion annual spending on food imports could be rationalised.

“The dream of a continent-wide common market remains as yet elusive. Despite our frameworks, deep-rooted structural barriers still exist.

“Only 14.4 per cent of Africa’s trade is intra-African, compared to 69 per cent in Europe and 59 per cent in Asia.

“Just seven per cent of Africa’s trade moves by air, yet we still face the highest intra-continental flight costs in the world. Over 70 per cent of goods are transported by road but poor road infrastructure and border bottlenecks cost us over $4 billion annually in lost trade.

“Maritime transport is underutilised. Only one in ten African countries has a major port efficiently connected to inland markets.

“Rail systems, our most cost-effective bulk trade option remain disconnected or outdated across most of the continent.

“These statistics are dismal, especially given that it is nearly a decade since the signing of the AfCFTA,” Mbah said.