Kenya Reaffirms Commitment to Implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
Kenya has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to fully harnessing the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a catalyst for regional integration, industrial growth, and economic transformation.
Speaking during the opening of the National Assembly Engagement Workshop on the AfCFTA Phase II Protocols held in Mombasa, the Principal Secretary for Trade, Ms. Regina Ombam, described the AfCFTA as one of the most transformative trade agreements driving Africa toward integration, prosperity, and self-reliance.
The workshop, organized by the State Department for Trade in partnership with the National Assembly’s Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives and supported by GIZ, sought to strengthen Kenya’s policy alignment, legislative coordination, and institutional readiness for full AfCFTA implementation. It placed particular focus on the Phase II Protocols covering Investment, Digital Trade, Competition Policy, Intellectual Property Rights and Women and Youth in Trade.
PS Ombam emphasized that the engagement provides a structured platform for dialogue and alignment on key policy and legislative priorities to ensure that both Parliament and the State Department for Trade advance Kenya’s broader development, trade promotion and industrialization agenda.
“By engaging directly with us, the committee will gain deeper insights into ongoing programs, policy directions and budget implementation. This will further enhance the quality of parliamentary oversight and ensure accountability in the execution of government initiatives,” she noted.
PS Ombam reaffirmed that Kenya’s commitment to the AfCFTA has been steadfast from the outset—being among the first countries to ratify the Agreement, a pilot country under the Guided Trade Initiative, and one of the first to develop a green supplement for the tea and coffee sectors.
“The AfCFTA aligns closely with Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which prioritize industrialization, job creation, and export-led growth. Through this framework, we seek to unlock new value chains, strengthen our competitiveness, and empower MSMEs, women and youth to participate effectively in intra-African trade,” she added.
The PS called for a whole-of-government approach to translate AfCFTA provisions into tangible outcomes that stimulate production, enhance market access and expand export opportunities for Kenyan enterprises.
“Our collective efforts must focus on developing export-ready enterprises, leveraging digital trade platforms and investing in standards harmonization and infrastructure connectivity to strengthen our competitive edge,” she said.
In her remarks,Marianne Kitany, Eldai MP and Vice Chairperson of the National Assembly’s Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives commended the collaboration between Parliament and the Executive in ensuring that Kenya remains at the forefront of continental trade integration.
MP Kitany described the AfCFTA as Africa’s most ambitious economic integration project, transforming the continent from 54 fragmented markets into a single, integrated market of 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of over USD 3.4 trillion.
“For Kenya, the AfCFTA is the key to the entire continent. It’s about moving our ‘Made in Kenya’ and ‘Serviced by Kenya’ brands from Cape to Cairo,” she said.
“It is also our blueprint for building resilient regional value chains—sourcing cocoa from Ghana, processing it in Kenya and selling the finished products across Africa. This is how we industrialize,” she added.
She emphasized that the ongoing engagement on the Phase II Protocols is vital in shaping Africa’s 21st-century trade architecture, attracting sustainable investments, safeguarding intellectual property, fostering fair competition and ensuring inclusivity by empowering women and youth in trade.
“Our task as Parliamentarians is not merely to be passive ratifiers. We must translate these continental commitments into domestic laws that empower our people and businesses,” Kitany stated.
She further called for the harmonization of trade-related legislation, including the forthcoming Standards Bill and Automotive Bill, to align Kenya’s legal framework with AfCFTA commitments while maintaining the country’s sovereign right to regulate in the public interest.
“We must ensure that the woman selling dried mangoes in Kitui can export them to Nigeria as easily as she sells them in Nairobi,” she added.
The MP urged her fellow legislators to develop a clear parliamentary roadmap for the ratification and domestication of the AfCFTA Phase II Protocols.
“The world is watching. Africa is on the move. Let us ensure that Kenya is not just a participant, but a leader and a primary beneficiary of this new African economic era,” she affirmed.