The conference brought together participants from across the continent, including representatives from national governments, regional and continental organisations, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, academia, trade experts, entrepreneurs, and tralac alumni.
In her keynote address, Trudi Hartzenberg, Executive Director of tralac, called for a bold rethink of Africa’s trade policy in light of intensifying global trade fragmentation and new global realities. She stressed the need to broaden Africa’s industrialisation strategies to encompass goods, services, digital trade, positioning the AfCFTA as a transformative framework for inclusive development. A key takeaway was the urgency of transforming the energy sector and accelerating practical trade implementation under the AfCFTA, through evidence-based approaches.
The address underscored structural challenges that must be addressed, including limited production capacity, financial exclusion, and outdated rules of origin that no longer reflect modern global value chains and hinder Africa’s ability to leverage preferential market access.
Access to trade finance, SME support, gender inclusion, investment facilitation, and climate-compatible trade policies were identified as priority areas for ensuring inclusive trade outcomes. On global trade governance, Africa’s role in shaping the multilateral trading system was affirmed, urging active engagement in the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference in Cameroon in March 2026, and specifically participation in the plurilateral initiatives on investment facilitation for development, digital trade and services domestic regulation that align closely with the AfCFTA agenda.
While speaking on multilateralism, she acknowledged the WTO’s current crises, including the paralysis of its dispute settlement system and in adequate rules on Special and Differential Treatment (SDT), calling for urgent reforms to ensure that especially least developed countries are not left behind. In closing, she noted South Africa’s presidency of the G20, which also includes the African Union as a permanent member.
The G20, which features a year-long process of engagement among governments, the private sector (B20), labour (L20) and think tanks (T20) before Summit of Heads of State and Government, provides a unique opportunity to engage on the various streams of multilateral governance, including trade, investment, climate and the international financial architecture.
South Africa and the African Union are the voice of Africa, home to 32 of the world’s 44 least developed countries, in these important engagements. The outcomes of these deliberations are directed to strategic decision making forums, such as the 4th UN Financing for Development Conference (30 June 3 July 2025), the 30th Congress of the Parties (10-21 November 2025), as well as MC14 (26-29 March 2026).
And Kigali Attorneys Legal Consultants and Partners was represented by Counsel Louis GITINYWA, Senior Partner, who is also a Tralac Alumni
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