On 19 October 2026, the Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue welcomed H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, for an evening devoted to Africa’s economic integration and the opportunities and challenges of continental free trade. The event was organised in cooperation with the Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE) and the Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC).

Strengthening Africa’s economic integration

Under the title Free Trade as a Driver of Africa’s Economic Integration?, the event explored the role of the AfCFTA in promoting intra-African trade, strengthening regional value chains and creating new opportunities for economic development across the continent. In his keynote address, The AfCFTA as a Driver of Trade, Production and Employment: Strategic Considerations, H.E. Wamkele Mene discussed the strategic importance of the agreement for Africa’s economic future. As one of the continent’s most ambitious integration initiatives, the AfCFTA aims to create a single African market for goods and services, facilitate trade between African countries and support industrial development and employment. The discussion also addressed the challenges of translating the agreement’s ambitions into tangible economic opportunities, particularly in the areas of production, investment and private sector development.

Following the keynote speech, Cynthia E. Gnassingbe-Essonam, Director of Private Sector Engagement and Communications at the AfCFTA Secretariat, and Leena Koni Hoffmann, Associate Fellow at Chatham House, took part in the panel discussion.
Moderated by Miriam Mona Mukalazi from VIDC and Bernhard Tröster from ÖFSE, the discussion explored the opportunities and challenges associated with implementing the AfCFTA, including the role of businesses, regional economic cooperation and the importance of ensuring that the benefits of economic integration reach different sectors of African societies.

For the Bruno Kreisky Forum, the event was an important opportunity to bring African perspectives on trade, development and economic cooperation into the international dialogue in Vienna. It also highlighted the importance of creating spaces for exchange between policymakers, researchers, civil society and representatives of international institutions.

Photo credit: Minitta Kandlbauer